Part 2: Fullmetal and the Boy Who Lived
by cherrishish
Summary: Part 2 to Fullmetal meets Marvel! Definitely read that before this! Rated T for language... It's Ed duh... fem!Ed.
1. A Whole New World

**A/N: Part 2 to Fullmetal meets Marvel! Definitely read that before this! Set in HBP (Book 6).**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: A Whole New World**_

* * *

Earlier on Fullmetal meets Marvel:

 _"_ _Well, well, alchemist we meet again!" Truth smiled wickedly. "I assume you want to get back to your little brother," it stated mockingly. "What did you bring me this time as a toll?"_

 _"_ _This," Ed held up the miniature arc reactor that Tony gave him, its eerie, light blue glow illuminating her face. "It's a nifty little thing as I understand. One of the greatest inventions in the world you sent me to in terms of energy sources. The Philosopher's Stone if you think about is just an energy source as well."_

 _Truth burst out laughing uncontrollably, literally rolling on the floor – if you could call the great white nothingness they floated in a floor – laughing. At Ed. Which was seriously getting on her nerves, her brow twitching furiously._

 _"_ _Ahhh…" Truth finally got himself together. "You haven't learned anything at all right?"_

 _The blonde alchemist looked at the Gate Keeper, confused, having no idea what he could mean by that._

 _"_ _I sent you to that world to broaden your perspective on the universe you live in. In which Amestris and your world is but a little speck of inconsequence in the greater scheme of things," it explained mockingly._

 _"_ _One is all, all is one," Ed answered with the lesson she learned from her teacher all those years ago._

 _"_ _Yes, that too," Truth smirked, waving her off dismissively. "But what I was implying that I wanted you to see the possibilities beyond alchemy… science… things that you can't explain away. And what you come back with?" it mused rhetorically._

 _"_ _If I didn't know better I would be inclined to think that you are intentionally trying to piss me off," Truth continued with venom after a few seconds of silence with a heavy sigh. "I might just have to send you to another place to make sure you learn your lesson."_

 _Without waiting for any kind of response, with a gesture of its hand the Gate opened again, the tiny black paws hauling her through as she screamed "YOU BASTARD!" at the top of her lungs._

* * *

 _Edeline woke up on a wet cobblestone pavement, rain drizzling slightly in her face._ At least I have everything I gained last time… – _the alchemist thought as she looked herself over, being dressed in jeans, leather jacket, and her auto-mail arm still made of red colored titanium-gold alloy, so she assumed her leg was still upgraded too. Silver pocket watch in its rightful place but the mini arc reactor gone._

 _Taking in her environment, she knew at once that this was not a place she was familiar with, neither Amestris nor New York. Scrambling frantically for a newspaper around her to check for the date and location._

 _"_ _YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" she yelled looking up at the sky when she saw that it was July 31st, 1996. And she was in London._

* * *

It took the alchemist some moments to notice the name of the newspaper. _Daily Prophet_ – what an odd name she thought. Another several seconds passed by before _movement_ caught her eye on the picture of the front page, prompting her to drop the thing like it was poison. Come to think of it, this alley she appeared in looked very peculiar too, but of course, she didn't know what London was supposed to look like. Creepy looking little shop displays surrounded her in the narrow street that she sat on the pavement of.

Edeline frantically thought her situation over. She knew that this city was supposed to be in the same world as she was in before, located on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and was the capital of a country named the United Kingdom. But she had never heard from anyone that this country had weird technology that could make images move on pieces of paper. I mean she knew what the television was, so motion picture wasn't the news to her. Scanning over the main title, she read "Death Eater terror continues." _What on Earth were Death Eaters?_ Then her eyes wandered to the subtitle of the newspaper. "The Wizard World's Beguiling Broadsheet of Choice" _What the actual fuck?_ The puzzle was just getting larger and larger, the blonde was starting to get a feeling of immense dread.

 _I need to find a place with internet! Did internet exist even back in 1996? I need to contact the Avengers! Wait they_ surely _hadn't existed back in 1996… Tony! Stark Industries were founded long before even if he wasn't Iron Man yet… Wait nineteen years in the past, how old is he in this time? Around twenty maybe? And what do I tell him? Sorry, you don't know me yet, but you will in two decades, by the way, I am from an alternate universe where alchemy exists, and I came through the Gate… What about S.H.I.E.L.D.?_ – Ed cried out in frustration as the options ran through her mind.

Unfortunately, she didn't have long to ponder since two men, wearing weird cloak-like attires, appeared before her – literally popping into existence out of thin air – and pointed… _sticks?_ … at her. _Was that supposed to be threatening?_

"Who are you and how did you get in here Muggle?" one of the men who was sporting a beard asked her pointedly. _What's a "muggle"?_ – Ed thought. For some reason, it awfully sounded like some kind of an insult. The blonde was always ready for a fight anyway and besides… _Colonel Bastard would have a field day with this if she were to be defeated by a couple of dudes with_ sticks _…_

Ed quickly slapped her hands together and was immensely relieved when she felt the usual surge of energy in her veins that signaled that her alchemical circle activated. The alchemist quickly transmuted her auto-mail to her trademark cutlass as she took her stance.

"Wait… you are not a muggle!?" the other – African-American – man exclaimed in surprise lowering his wand a bit as he relented on his fighting posture.

"What's a muggle?" the girl burst out with a scowl having had enough with the derogation.

"No-maj to you I guess…" he supplemented gauging her American like accent. Although he could hear a bit of foreign quality to it.

"Still doesn't ring a bell, sorry!" Ed grumbled getting worked up even more by the minute.

"A person born without magic," he explained finally looking thoroughly perplexed.

Ed laughed out at that hysterically. _Magic? Really? What kind freak-show did I get into now?_ Then the words of Truth rang in her mind – _I wanted you to see the possibilities beyond alchemy… science… things that you can't explain away._

"Well, I don't have _magic_!" the alchemist stated after getting her bearings together.

"Sure you do… even if it's a bit unconventional," the black man continued to reason with her, although he had to admit the fact that the girl used no wand and could perform… well, something… with the clap of her hands was nothing like anything he had seen before. The other man started to become restless though instead of calming down by learning the fact that they weren't dealing with a muggle. He had the sense that the girl was dangerous.

"Are you a Death Eater?" the bearded man who had addressed her first inquired pointing at her threateningly with his wand. The girl's eyes were unnatural, to say the least. Usually, only werewolves had that kind of irises, and they were allied with the Dark Lord.

"I have no idea what that is either, but you guys seriously need to work on coming up with less ridiculous names!" Ed guessed that it was an Earthly thing because ever since coming to this planet roughly six weeks ago she had the urge to snicker whenever she heard the more and more ludicrous terms and titles people could come up with.

"It's alright Gawain, I am quite positive that girl is not a Death Eater," the friendlier man addressed the first. "I am Kingsley Shacklebolt," he introduced himself finally. "This is my fellow auror, Gawain Robards – well boss now, sorry."

"You can't know that! And don't go revealing our identities to some random little witch you just encountered! She could be the enemy!" Robards reprimanded his subordinate. The confirmed reappearance of Who He Must Not Be Named had everyone on edge.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE PIPSQUEAK WHO IS SO SMALL THAT THEY CAN'T EVEN DO MAGIC PROPERLY EVEN IF THEY TRIED?" _Did I really just say that? I don't even believe in magic! God these people are messing with my head!_

"What is your name?" Kingsley ignored his boss's and the blonde's rant and asked calmly. If this girl were a Death Eater, she would have tried something by now.

"Edeline Elric," she answered, warily looking back and forth between the two men. The blonde was relieved by the fact that at least whatever this world was her identity wasn't known to anyone for sure. The manga only started in 2001 if she recalled it correctly. "Any of you going to explain this whole Death Eater thing already?"

"Death Eaters are the followers of Lord Voldemort," the dark-skinned man explained making the other wince at the name.

"Don't say the name out loud!" he admonished with shock on his face as Ed burst out laughing again, making both men turn to her mildly taken aback.

"Sorry, geez, warn me next time before dropping names like that on me!" she said wiping off a lone tear from the corner of her eye from the laughing.

"The Dark Lord is no laughing matter! He is a threat to the wizarding _and_ muggle world alike," Gawain spat with venom still not being entirely sure of the girl's origins.

"Okay, okay, I get it, evil mastermind, have met a few of those," Ed turned severe, putting up her hand signaling her benign intentions then transmuted her hand back to its original state.

"You really have to tell us how you do that," Kingsley's curiosity won over.

"Alchemy," the blonde stated nonchalantly.

"Well, there is your answer to whether you are magical or not. Alchemy is an ancient branch of magic, not really practiced in this day and age though…" the man was deep in thought. "Although I have never seen or read about alchemy being used in this way."

"Enough of this nonsense! What do we do with the girl?" Robards tapped impatiently with his foot.

"The _girl_ is still standing right here, you know!" Ed cut in getting tired of being treated like she wasn't even present in the conversation. "Just tell me where I can find a place with internet, and I'm out of your way."

"Internet?" it was Shacklebolt's turn to be puzzled as he faced her. "Oh, that new muggle invention that Arthur always talks about… I'm sorry, but we don't have that in the wizarding world."

"Fine, an international – American to be precise – phonebook maybe?" the alchemist probed further.

"Phonebook?" the black man cocked a brow at the blonde.

"Don't tell me you guys don't have phones yet?!" Ed exclaimed in shock. _Could nineteen years mean that much in technology? We even had phones back home, and that world is supposed to be a hundred years behind!_

"Well, we know the muggles have, we just don't use that kind of stuff," Kingsley shrugged his shoulders, being sorry that he couldn't help.

"How do you communicate not in person then?" the alchemist inquired wide-eyed.

"By letters, carried by owls mostly, Floo network sometimes… or we just apparate to the person we want to talk to. Much easier I must say."

"Ugh… never mind," her mind reeled with the unknown expressions, but she was just too fed up with this nonsense to care or ask anymore and went right past between the two men hoping that the exit was that way.

"Where do you think you are going?" the bearded man called after her.

"Out of this looney bin and to the muggle world as you call it!" she yelled back as she stomped her way through the narrow alley towards what seemed like a more prominent, busier street ahead, not caring whether they followed her or not.

When she reached it though, she was frozen in her place by a couple of similarly oddly outfitted men, women, and children who were bustling about minding their own business, huddled close together in small groups, clearly as if afraid of something. And the shops! If she thought the displays were weird back there, then she didn't have a word for this. She saw bookshops – _Flourish & Blotts_, owl shop - _Eeylops Owl Emporium_ , broom shop – _Broomstix_ , a pub - _The Leaky Cauldron_ and many, many more with odd names welcomed her as she stood gaping at the scene.

"Where the hell are we?" Ed whispered forcefully to Kingsley as he caught up with her on her right side, the other man flanking her from the left.

"Diagon Alley," he informed unfazed by the girl's lack of knowledge.

"Diagonally?" she asked back, she wasn't questioning the directionality of the place.

"Diagon Alley," the black man repeated slower.

"How do I get out of here?" the alchemist asked since she saw no exit, the street being cut off by a big white building farther down on her left and the Leaky Cauldron on her right.

"Before you go, would you consider staying? I know a man who could help you out," Shacklebolt said kindly followed by an angry grunt from Gawain.

"No. I just need to contact my friends. They will come pick me up," the blonde insisted.

"You can't go telling people about the wizarding world and what you just saw," Kingsley instructed the girl as he led her through the secret wall opening in the backyard of the pub.

"Like anyone would believe this nonsense!" Ed snorted and rolled her eyes at the taller man as she took her leave.

"Are you sure it's safe to let her leave like that?" Robards asked his colleague after the blonde vanished from their sight, not really concerned with the well-being of the alchemist more like the people of the world outside.

"Don't worry, she will come back," the black man commented with humor in his eyes. He was still going to contact Dumbledore about the odd-ball witch they encountered who seemed to have no knowledge what so ever about their world.

* * *

After being led out to the busy Charing Cross Road of London through the Leaky Cauldron, Ed sighed contently that the place looked much more normal than the one she had just encountered previously. True, very different from New York, with the double-decker red buses instead of the many yellow cabs that she was used to, but still.

She cursed under her breath for not leaving the Avengers with her contact lenses in since her bright golden eyes attracted too much attention from the people passing by, and she shoved her right hand deep into her pocket to conceal her auto-mail as she roamed the street looking for something remotely helpful. A library, or internet café, or any other place where she could possibly gain access to the internet and look up what she needed.

 _At least people spoke English here too… even if they had a peculiar accent…_ – Ed thought to herself with a sigh after not finding anything useful for more than thirty minutes of walking around and deciding to ask a pedestrian for instructions. She decided to talk up a girl only slightly older than herself, guessing that it would be the younger people who knew of this if it was already invented. She wasn't sure of dates from her research in New York when exactly the internet became a thing.

"Excuse me, Miss!" Ed began politely to catch the other girl's attention who looked at her warily. _Thank God I'm not pretending to be a boy anymore, this would have been even more awkward..._

"Yes?" the girl relaxed a bit as she took a better look at the smaller girl.

"Do you know where I could find an internet café?" the blonde inquired.

"Oh…" she looked deep in thought. "You mean like that place Cyberia?" Ed had no idea but nodded anyway. "That's on Whitfield Street, I think."

"Where is that? Could you give me directions?"

"About two metro stations on the Northern line," she explained than continued when she Ed's confused face. "We are by the Picadilly line now at Covent Garden, just go a few blocks down to your left to Leicester Square, you will see it when you get there."

Ed looked in the direction that was pointed out to her and realized that's where she had come from.

"Thanks!" the alchemist waved good-bye and was on her way.

On her way, she realized she was going to need money to do anything, so she ducked into one of the many alleys to find some scrap metal to transmute to gold, careful as to no one notice her ministrations. With that, she went into the first pawn shop on her way and came out a few pounds and pence richer.

On that same note, she decided to buy herself a map of London so that she wasn't forced to continually ask for directions from strangers.

With a little luck, she found what she was looking for. _Computers sure are bulkier than in the future_ … _What am I thinking… for me this is still pretty much the future…_ – Ed thought to herself as she glanced in through the window into the café seeing the lines of monitors on the desks.

Her search was a bust though. No Google, the search engine she was used to. Actually no anything! The internet, browsers, web pages that she was used to were all missing, and after a few weird stares that she got from the shop manager, she decided not to ask about it any further. Ed couldn't find anything on Stark Industries or Tony Stark, but she wasn't sure if it was the lack of information, or she was in a completely different world where they didn't exist at all! Last time S.H.I.E.L.D. found her the instant she appeared in this world. _Since no one came now… did that mean the organization didn't exist or they didn't have the technology yet to detect the energy surge of the array as I arrived? Or was I just too far away since I landed on another continent this time? Dammit, that I didn't take that stupid cell phone with me too! Would it have worked? Would any of them have the same phone numbers now as they did in the future?_

With those questions running through her head, she started walking the streets again in a sullen mood, not bothering with the metro. She wasn't in a hurry. After quite some time she stumbled upon a wide river – _the_ _Thames was it?_ – and she stood there leaning against the railing taking in the breathtaking view of the curving waterfront.

It started to get dark, so Edeline decided to find herself a place to stay for the night. She found a small inn not too far, the innkeeper looking at her oddly, probably for asking for a room being this young, or having no luggage at all. She must have looked like a runaway from home. Ed couldn't really come to care.

Upon entering her small but cozy looking room she plopped down on the side of her bed, lying back down, her feet dangling off the bed, staring at the ceiling trying to process all that's happened in a day's worth.

That is until suddenly an old man – in long purple robes and half-moon glasses with almost equally long white hair and beard – appeared out of nowhere making Ed yelp and jump in surprise.


	2. The Greatest Wizards of Modern Times

_**Chapter 2: The Greatest Wizards of Modern Times**_

* * *

Ed shot up into a sitting position. For a moment, the alchemist was so dumbfounded that she just stared at the stranger that had appeared. Then her instincts kicked in.

"Who the hell are you? GET OUT!" she screamed as she threw a punch at the intruder. With her right fist at that. But before it could connect with the man's face, he vanished, leaving Ed hanging. Then reappeared a second later a few paces over. This repeated a couple of times before the wizard spoke.

"Are you quite done, yet?" he asked before he disappeared again to avoid another right swing. "My nose might seem like it had been broken in a couple of places… but in actuality, it wasn't, and I don't plan on starting… at such an old age," the bearded man chuckled with humor, pausing in his sentence at each apparition.

Although he knew popping into another wizard's or witch's home (or room in this case) without allowing them a chance to deny entry was rude, but he did not have a particular dark-haired boy with him this time to persuade the girl like he did a couple weeks ago with Slughorn. And from what Kingsley told him of her denying the existence of magic, he needed to use other methods to get the blonde's attention. Also, he was in quite a hurry.

"Then don't fucking barge into people's rooms like that, uninvited!" Ed fumed just as the old man dematerialized again, this time not popping back into existence. The blonde sighed with relief that lasted only till a knock came from her door.

"May I come in?" the purple-robed elderly inquired with a twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles when the blonde opened the entryway.

"No, you may not!" the girl slammed the door in his face. Just as she turned around, the all too persistent man was before her again. And in her room. _Again._

"Can't really take a hint, can you?" Ed huffed with disapproval but sat down on her bed, submitting to her fate that she probably won't be able to get rid of the geezer unless he got what he came for.

"I think we could be quite of use to each other, Edeline," the old man sat down in the one chair the room had to offer without bothering to ask if he may.

"Who the fuck are you and how do you know my name, gramps?" the blonde grunted crossing her arms. She was so tired of people just assuming her intentions and will before even introducing themselves.

"A friend of mine you met at Diagon Alley, Mr. Shacklebolt, has notified me of your situation," he informed in a calm voice as he looked at Ed knowingly, completely ignoring her rude tone.

"What situation would that be exactly? And by the way, you still have me at a disadvantage," the alchemist insisted on a proper introduction if he was going to be making deals with her.

"How rude of me, of course," the graying man smiled kindly. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Pig nipples? Really?" Ed burst out laughing, clutching her stomach in vain attempt to keep herself together.

"My proposition is that you come study magic at Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued with mild amusement after the hysterical laughing died down.

"If you think for a second that I buy into this magic nonsense, you have got a very wrong idea about me," Ed stated clearly, leaving no room for arguments like she did with the black man.

"What would you call yourself then?" the headmaster asked, intrigued. From what Kingsley told him, the girl undoubtedly possessed magical abilities, and she was aware of them.

"I'm an alchemist," she announced like it was self-evident.

"A great friend of mine, Nicolas Flamel, was one too," Dumbledore mused out loud.

"That might be true, but I'm pretty sure what you call alchemy is very different here than where I come from," Ed commented with a huff not really impressed by that fact. She had way too many disappointments back in New York in her quest to find an alchemical way back home to Amestris.

"What is your alchemy like?" he probed further. The blonde just sighed, she had had to explain this so many times in the last months.

"It's science. Comprehension, deconstruction, reconstruction. You have to understand the very nature and properties of the material you want to transmute. I could hold a doctorate in chemistry and physics for crying out loud! How is this not science?" the alchemist ranted all that in a single breath.

"And what about the energy you use for the deconstruction and reconstruction?" Dumbledore inquired all knowingly with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I channel the tectonic energy of the planet!" the blonde explained nonchalantly.

"Yes, but have you ever wondered how exactly you are able to do that?" the wizard questioned patiently.

"Because of my Gate to Truth," Ed replied, furrowing her brows in the process, not really getting where this was going.

"That's an interesting way of putting it, but I would say just like magic as we call it, the ability for alchemy comes from within," Dumbledore insisted.

"No, I literally mean a _gate_ to Truth… or universe or God or All and One or whatever you might want to call it," the alchemist retorted severely.

"You have actually seen it?" the man tried to stay impassive, but it was clear that his interest was piqued by that piece of information.

"Yes," she answered in a clipped tone. _Please don't ask me how!_

"I myself am quite well-versed in the subject. But like I said I had a friend who had studied the art way longer, hundreds of years actually. And he had never mentioned something like a gate. Interesting…" the headmaster reflected on the revelation that could very well mean the origins of magic too, not just alchemy. Although in his mind these were not quite as separate as in the young girl's before him.

"Hundreds of years?" the girl cried out. "Wait a minute… you don't mean…" her face was one of shock from the apprehension that the wizard caught onto fast.

"Yes, he had made the Elixir of Life from the Sorcerer's Stone," Dumbledore confirmed. Now _that_ sounded awfully like the Philosopher's Stone. Too much so for Ed's liking.

"Do you have any idea what the Sorcerer's or Philosopher's Stone is made of?" the alchemist questioned accusatorially with a glare that would most certainly kill if looks could do that.

"Unfortunately, yes. Nicolas confessed it to me on his deathbed about four years ago," the old man stated with a somber expression.

"So the guy is dead? Good! Because I would have beaten him to a pulp if he wasn't!" Ed furiously shook her fist to herself only really.

"If it's any consolation to you, he didn't use it selfishly besides prolonging his life. He helped many others with its healing properties over the centuries. And when Voldemort tried to get his hands on it to restore his body, Nicolas agreed to destroy it without hesitation," Albus defended his old friend, but of course, nothing could excuse his crime.

"Using the souls of innocent people to extend your own life is selfish enough," the blonde muttered angrily under her breath. "After I found out the ingredient to it I never would have tried to make one, not even _use_ one when I had the chance," although she was glad it was already destroyed because she might have been getting desperate enough to get back home to use it if it wasn't. And she wouldn't have been able to face Al after that. Not, since they made their promise not to. She did use it once, Envy's core, to escape from the fake gate, but that was it.

They sat in silence after that for a couple of minutes. Ed's mind was reeling with detest while the older man was becoming increasingly curious about the young girl and her abilities.

"You said alchemy is different from where you come from, would you mind showing it to me?" the headmaster requested his calm, and good-humored demeanor resumed.

"What would you like me to transmute?" the blond girl inquired, looking expectantly at the old man. To tell you the truth she liked to show off her skills.

"You can transmute anything?" Dumbledore questioned incredulously. Surely there were limitations since Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration would probably have to apply.

"Well yes and no… I cannot make something appear out of thin air. I use the materials that I find and deconstruct then reconstruct it to another form. Equivalent exchange. In order to gain something, something of equal value has to be lost. But given the right materials, yes, pretty much anything," the alchemist explained but then decided that it was easier to just to show him. Using the metal in the floor lamp beside the bed the blonde transmuted her favorite spear with a clap of her hand.

"Yes, I must say, your alchemy is a bit different," he commented under his breath on a side note. Alchemy in their world was intimately connected with potion-making, chemistry and transformation magic, not used in the way Ed demonstrated just now. Although that didn't mean it couldn't be.

"No formula needed?" the wizard continued as he cocked a brow. Although the girl was claiming to be not magical, using magic without a wand, or some sort of array that is traditionally required for alchemy was quite remarkable. And powerful. Powerful indeed. He also noted that the first thing that came to the alchemist's mind to transmute was a weapon, one that she used probably quite often.

"Formula? Oh, you mean transmutation circle…" the realization came to the blonde. _Maybe I should have just drawn up a circle, it would be much easier sometimes if I didn't go revealing this one fact about myself…_ "Uhm… I don't need one since I saw the Gate for the first time. I create the circle within myself as I clap my hands together," she said timidly as she quickly transmuted the lamp back to its original state. She did want her security deposit back after all…

"You have seen it multiple times?" the headmaster questioned, and Ed mentally slapped herself for her continual slip-ups. _Darn it!_

"Like I said earlier, I'm not from around here, I came through the Gate," Ed opted for the less condemning instances of human transmutations she performed.

"Can you show me, how to reach the Gate?" he inquired, being as of old age as he may, the wizard was still a scholar at heart, searching for the answers of the many mysteries magic could hold, and he wanted to know if his theory was correct.

"No!" she stated firmly, her lips in a tight line. "That is not something that should be tried carelessly. There is always a price to pay."

"Like an arm and a leg?" the wizard asked looking knowingly at said limbs.

"How? I mean I get that you saw my right hand as I tried to bash in your face…" Ed trailed off. They hadn't had a hands-on fight where he could tell from throwing her!

"I may be old, but my hearing is still good, your left leg has a louder thud on the wooden floors when you walk," the blonde just nodded slightly in understanding to that.

Dumbledore decided not to question the topic of the Gate or the seemingly mechanical limbs further, the blonde was clearly reluctant to the idea. Instead, he had another proposition for the alchemist besides inviting her to Hogwarts.

"Perhaps, we could take this conversation somewhere else. I would like you to meet some people," the headmaster suggested standing up from his seat.

"Where exactly?" Ed asked warily. She still wasn't sure whether to trust this strange man or not, although it was clear that he was working against this dark wizard – Voldemort – that was brought to her attention. That ought to count for something.

"I'd rather not say until we get there. We can never be quite too careful as to who is listening," Dumbledore stated in all seriousness. "Now if you would hold on to my left arm," he said offering said arm to the girl who was just standing up, looking at him funny. She wasn't some lady to be taken on the arm of a man!

Her train of thought was cut short though when she noticed the wizard's right hand. It was all blackened like if burned to the core.

"What happened to your hand?" Ed blurted out before she could stop herself. Looking at it she had a strange feeling she couldn't just quite place yet.

"It's quite an interesting tale that we, unfortunately, don't have the time for. But to ease your curiosity let's just say that this old man is not as fast as he was used to neither in mind nor body," the wizard explained still offering his left arm for Ed to hold onto which she now took.

And with that, they vanished from the cozy little hotel room. To where? Ed didn't know.

* * *

Edeline felt like she was pressed through the tiniest little tube she could imagine. She couldn't breathe, her ears were popping, and she generally felt like there was immense pressure on her.

When they finally reappeared in what seemed like a square of townhouses the blonde actually had to sit down and put her head between her knees to keep from vomiting.

"Never… again…" she managed shakily. However strange the experience might have been, she kept thinking this could still be explained by the laws of alchemy. Though a different experience, she had reemerged in places other than where she started from while passing through the gate. She was determined to find a logical explanation for it.

"I'm sorry. Apparition can have that effect the first time around," the old man smiled apologetically for not warning her beforehand. Ed looked up at the man then remembered the sensation she got about his hand.

"You are dying right?" the alchemist asked quietly. Although she hadn't thoroughly immersed herself in alkahestry, Mei had taught her enough to recognize such a considerable disruption of chi that she was sensing from the headmaster.

"Perceptive too…" Dumbledore smiled sadly but with a sense of hope too. _Edeline will probably prove to be a powerful ally for the Order of the Phoenix if she agrees._ Just then, with a wave of his hand, the buildings 11 and 13 began to depart from each other revealing number 12, much to Ed's astonishment. She scrambled off the pavement, her nausea long forgotten. "Welcome to 12 Grimmauld Place."

They entered with the old man showing the way into the bit dusty and run down looking townhouse that was just recently reoccupied by the Order after it was sorted out that Harry did, in fact, inherit the place.

"Albus, thank Merlin! We were starting to get worried! You were supposed to arrive an hour ago…" a tall man with graying hair greeted them then paused questioningly at Dumbledore when he saw the girl in his tow. There was something odd to Ed about him though, she couldn't exactly tell what it was, but he had a sort beastly aura about him.

"I am sorry that I worried you, it took a little longer to persuade our guest to join us."

"Who is she?" he glanced between them warily, but what's done was done, Dumbledore had already revealed the location of their headquarters to her.

"This is Edeline Elric. But I assume Kingsley has informed you already," the headmaster informed looking at the blonde.

"No, he hasn't come back from the Prime Minister's office yet. He only mentioned it in passing," the mystery man shook his head.

"Alright then, I will fill you in. Shall we sit down?" Dumbledore smiled kindly at the man motioning for them to go into the kitchen to talk.

As the three of them entered the said room, they found that another person was present in the building. The woman had light brownish hair and as Ed noticed red puffy eyes like she had been crying before they arrived. Unbeknownst to Ed the witch usually had a more boisterous appearance to her that generally involved bright pink hair.

"Edeline, these are Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks," the wizard continued as they sat down.

"You can just call me Ed," she insisted. Having been living as a boy for so long, it was weird when people kept calling her by her full name.

"Just Tonks for me," the witch pointed out half-heartedly but gave a little smile to the girl, not quite meeting her eye. Ed knew that look, she was grieving. Someone must have died recently. Which, based on the information she had picked up on so far regarding the war against Voldemort, wasn't all that surprising to her. She gave back a tight sympathetic smile.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way…" he looked over his spectacles seriously. "Besides inviting Ms. Elric to come study at Hogwarts, I would like her to also join the Order of the Phoenix and help us in some things."

"Are you sure that's wise, Albus? We don't even know who she is or where she came from!"

"For your information, I'm from Amestris, but it would ring a bell to you anyway…" Ed cut in as she was growing increasingly tired and frustrated by people keeping fighting about her like wasn't even there.

"I mean how do we know she doesn't work for You-Know-Who?" Remus continued ignoring the blonde entirely.

"I can assure you that my judgment on her character has a sound basis," Dumbledore declared not leaving room for arguments but also not wanting to reveal most of the details that were exchanged between them. "Edeline is also a master alchemist, from what I gathered from our talk, with a long history and experience in combat."

"What a little kid like her?" he glanced at the said girl. She couldn't have been older than Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and although they had encountered some rough situations, he wouldn't have called those a _"long history and experience in combat."_

"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!" Ed fumed slamming her fists down on the table as she got up from her place making everyone but Dumbledore jump a little. "And just so you know, I have been in the military since the age of twelve, have been researching alchemy on my own since five, it would be wise of you not to underestimate me."

"Oh, my," another child robbed of her childhood is what Albus thought. There must be a history to this, probably connected to lost limbs too. He had a sense that she and Harry would get on well.

"Well, at least she's got guts and spunk, I guess. I like her and if Dumbledore trusts her, we should too," Tonks chuckled quietly, drawing the incredulous gaze of Lupin. He hasn't seen a smile on the woman's face let alone a laugh since Sirius died. "What?" she looked at Remus.

"Now that's all settled, I have arranged for you to stay at one of our members' house. There will be some children your age too, I think you will like that…"

"Wait a minute I haven't agreed to anything yet!" Ed interjected as the others got up thinking that the conversation was over.

"Hogwarts has a vast library full of books and knowledge on all topics of magic… I might even give you a permission slip to the restricted section," the headmaster sweetened the deal. He was a good judge of character, and if the girl autodidactically taught herself alchemy to that level, then hunger for knowledge and books must have been a critical factor in her personality.

Ed sighed and shook her head, looking up at the ceiling in defeat. She really couldn't say no to that. Besides… Truth was expecting her to look beyond science. And she will… even if very skeptically.

* * *

 **A/N: I love Dumbledore to death don't get me wrong! But you have to admit sometimes he was a manipulative little bastard… there were so many things that Harry didn't know that went on in the background! Anyway, meanwhile I reread parts of Book 6 and realized that the beginning of this chapter was so OOC for Dumbledore… but oh well, gotta have some fun since I already set them on this path at the end of the first chapter.**

 **I know I put quite a dark twist on Nicolas Flamel's character with this one… but… that's the way my mind works. I did try to find an explanation to the Sorcerer's Stone on HP wikis but came up with nothing. Even tweeted JK Rowling, but oh well. I've read so many fics where it was just shaken off that no Flamel didn't make the stone with human sacrifices, but where would that be interesting if I just did that too?**

 **As for the origin of magic being the Gate in HP verse, like for alchemy in Ed's world and imagination or creativity in our (or well Marvel really, not ours, but in ours as well), I think it quite fits with the train of thought I set out in the earlier story.** **And there wasn't really ever an explanation for this in the books either.**


	3. School is for the weak

_**Chapter 3: School is for the weak**_

* * *

Edeline was apparated – despite her protests, but she actually endured the process much better this time – back to her hotel room to gather her stuff (not that she had much) and settle the bill (to the landlady's great surprise since Ed had just arrived a few hours prior and it was the middle of the night) and they were off again.

This time they arrived in the middle of the countryside with a crooked, shabby looking, tall house ahead of them. Just before they approached, something occurred to Ed.

"When you said to study at Hogwarts, you didn't mean classes and teachers and other students did you?" the alchemist looked up expectantly at the tall wizard.

"Well, traditionally that's what a school means…" he paused when he saw the blonde's horrified expression. "But I guess we could make an exception for you. I will ask the other Professors if they are willing to give you private lessons if you wish."

"Good… traditional education systems and I don't really mix well," Ed stated, perking up a little at that prospect. "I usually just get bored to death. But I probably won't need to impose on your colleagues either. I will figure it out on my own," the headmaster chuckled lightly at that confession.

"You should ask Ms. Granger, who you will meet very soon, to lend you her books up to year five since you will be starting your sixth with them from September. I am sure she will be happy to help," Dumbledore instructed his newest student as they walked up to the door. "Also you will be required to take your O.W.L.s in the fall."

"My owls?" Why on Earth she would need to take some nighttime predator birds was beyond her.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level, a set of exams fifth-year students are required to take at the end of the term."

"Oh…" the alchemist sighed in apprehension. Well, it's not like she wasn't up for the challenge.

"Also, for the protection of Harry Potter, there have been several protective measures and spells placed on the home. Just like him, I ask you to not do anything reckless while staying here to jeopardize that. In fact, consider it your first assignment form the Order to keep him safe," Dumbledore noted seriously as he knocked lightly on the door.

"Who's there?" came a nervous woman's voice from the inside.

"It's me, Molly, along with Edeline," he informed the witch.

The headmaster had contacted the Weasleys prior to their departure from Grimmauld Place. A plump looking red-haired woman ushered them inside quickly, warily glancing around before shutting the door behind them.

As they entered the cluttered but welcoming looking kitchen, Ed had the feeling that the large family living here had a very tight bond. It almost made her feel a little jealous. She also noted the weird looking clock on the wall, with the faces of people unknown to her yet on the arms, all pointing at "mortal peril." And some pots in the sink that were merrily cleaning themselves. _Are they manipulating the density of the air around them to make them move on their own?_

"Are you hungry dear?" the woman asked kindly smiling at her.

"No, thank you," Ed replied politely. The whole demeanor of the place and the witch rendered her practically unable to assume her usually snarky and obnoxious attitude. She had eaten before the crazy wizard decided to show up and drag her through half of London and England in one night anyway.

"I'll be taking my leave, Molly," Dumbledore turned to Mrs. Weasley and left the kitchen the way they came and disappeared after a few steps.

"The others are asleep already since we had a long and eventful day with Harry's birthday and all," the witch commented remembering the awful news they also got from Remus.

"How old is he?" the alchemist inquired. If she were to play bodyguard to some boy might as well find out some details.

"He had just turned sixteen," Molly answered. Ed snorted at that. Younger – even if only by half a year – than her. _What was so special about him that a whole secret organization tried to keep him safe from a dark wizard who seemed to be on a rampage?_

"Uhm… Mrs. …" the girl began but paused when she realized she didn't know what to call the plump woman. She couldn't very well call her _Molly_. The woman, based on her age, could almost be her grandmother.

"Molly Weasley, sorry," she offered a hand to the girl.

"Mrs. Weasley, I know it's very late and all but would you mind filling in some gaps for me regarding Voldemort and Harry, the wizarding world in general? I am not from around here…" Ed asked, and Mrs. Weasley noticeably winced at the name like everyone but Dumbledore that she encountered so far.

"I suppose I can…" the witch frowned then went on telling about the First Wizarding War, the Order, that fateful day when baby Harry survived Voldemort's attempt on his life after killing Lily and James, and the rumors of the Potter boy being the Chosen One to defeat the Dark Lord.

"So basically Voldemort is a megalomaniac serial-killer psychopath hungry for power…" the alchemist frowned as she drew her conclusion. Now, why wasn't she surprised? She seemed to be a magnet for these kinds of troubles lately. Awfully reminded her of Hitler too from her research on the history and World War II while with S.H.I.E.L.D. _Pureblood, mudblood… who cares really about these arbitrary differences?_

"Please don't say the name out loud dear…" Molly requested then continued after a little pause. "Dumbledore hasn't told us much about you. You say you are not from here…"

"That's because he doesn't know much about me either. But I guess it's only fair if I told you. Equivalent exchange," the blonde sighed and told the red-headed witch all about her years in the military. She was careful to omit why exactly she joined in the first place but went on about the Homunculi and Father and how they defeated him. Ultimately finishing with how she wound up here, but she left out the time she spent in yet another world – no need to confuse the woman even further – and made it seem like she came straight here from Amestris.

"Now I see what Albus sees in you. But you are so young! And go through all that…" the witch got up from her place and enveloped Ed in a big motherly hug. Ed stiffened up not really sure what to do. Decided to just wait it out. "Come, it's really late, you can sleep in Bill and Charlie's room with Hermione," she said finally after letting the blonde go, and showed her the way.

Ed awkwardly followed her. In the process, the plump witch also provided her with some nighttime wear.

* * *

The next day she woke up to the feeling of being watched. Ed opened her eyes to a tiny slit and turned her head to the side, only to find a bushy brown haired girl with large front teeth stare at her with interest from her bed.

"Who are you?" the girl asked in a kind of self-important way.

"Good morning to you too, geez," Ed yawned. "Edeline Elric, by the way, but just call me Ed."

"Hermione Granger," the brunette replied. _Oh, so she is the bookworm…_ – Ed thought to herself. – _At least one thing in common although not sure about anything else…_ "I still don't really know who you are," she continued watching Ed's golden eyes warily.

"You could say the newest member of the Order of the Phoenix. Will be attending Hogwarts with you lot from autumn too…" the alchemist replied finally sitting up, and the blanket slid down from her shoulders. The sight of her auto-mail made the other girl gasp out loud.

"What's with your arm?" she shrieked at an ear-splitting volume.

"Would you keep it down? It's still early for this much noise," Ed rubbed her aching ear absentmindedly.

The scream alarmed a few people in the house though who came rushing into the room on the third floor.

"What happened?" Molly Weasley entered first frantic with worry, still in her nightgown, but a bunch of other kids soon followed. She too gasped at Ed's auto-mail hand which had been covered by a glove last night, and thus the witch hadn't noticed before.

The two boys and a girl tried to peak over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder to see what the source of the uproar was. One of the boys – the taller one – and the young girl had the same hue to their hair as Mrs. Weasley, so Ed assumed they were her children. The other boy had black hair and striking green eyes. He was probably a bit short for his age – although still taller than the blond girl – and very skinny. If the alchemist had to take a wild guess, she would have said that he was the famous Harry Potter whom the whole wizarding world had been in a turmoil over. Ed saw all of them now gawking at her right arm, which annoyed her to bits.

"It's a long story, too long to tell. It's fine though, see?" the blonde moved around her arm to show them it was completely functional.

"Did you lose it in the war you told me about?" Molly inquired with signature motherly worry in her voice.

"No, long before that," Ed answered in a clipped tone as she got out of bed revealing her left leg too. "Yes, just the same," she commented when everyone gasped again turning their attention to her other missing limb.

"Wait what war? And how come Dumbledore accepted you into the Order? He wouldn't let us join since he thinks we are too young for that and you can't be older than us!" Hermione said all that in one breath.

"Well, that's wise of him. But I'm different," Ed snapped at her.

"Come, let's allow them to change and get ready for the day," Mrs. Weasley ushered everyone out, leaving Hermione and Edeline alone. But instead of changing in front of the other girl, Ed got her stuff and stormed out to find a bathroom.

When she got back, she found the young witch to have changed already too. Hermione seemed mellowed out though, wasn't trying to poke her nose into Ed's business anymore. _Maybe Mrs. Weasley had come back in after I left and admonished her?_

"Shall we go down for breakfast?" she offered awkwardly making her way to the door. Ed just nodded and followed her.

The boys were already downstairs, munching on their scrambled eggs. Soon the ginger girl arrived too. Ed did notice the meaningful look Mrs. Weasley shot towards Granger. Something did go down between them in her absence it seemed.

"Ed, since everyone is here I might as well introduce you all," Mrs. Weasley smiled motioning for all of them to sit down and eat.

"These are my children, Ron and Ginny. And this is Harry Potter. Although he is like family too," she directed her attention at each with a maternal glance. "I assume you and Hermione have already met."

"Uhm… yes," the alchemist nodded as she scooped some breakfast on her plate. Her assumptions were correct at least. "Edeline Elric, but I go by Ed."

Although Harry was very glad, he was also a bit astonished when he didn't see any kind of reaction from the blonde as to his identity.

"Go on, eat up!" Molly instructed them as she turned back to her tasks in the kitchen.

"So, Ed, how did you get your metal arm and leg? They very cool by the way!" the boy named Ron pierced the question at the blonde, making her choke on the piece of eggs that she had in her mouth and had to cough back up. The redhead earned himself a kick under the table from Hermione.

"What was that for?" he cried out indignantly, earning himself another one.

"Not really any of your business," the alchemist said with a scorching look on her face as she regained her composure and kept eating like nothing had happened.

No one said anything afterward while they ate, but Harry kept glancing at her curiously. _Probably happy that you are not the shiny new toy anymore, huh?_ – Ed thought to herself. Just then five owls appeared by the window and tapped on it, each with a letter tied to its leg.

"Must be the booklists…" Mrs. Weasley dried her hand on a kitchen rag and opened the window. The owls flew to each of their addressees, and much to Ed's surprise she got one too. The alchemist dubiously scanned over the contents while the others enthused about Quidditch Captains and prefects and their special bathrooms and what not. Ed noticed it wasn't just a booklist – all sorts of other equipment, cauldron, scales, telescope, etc. were needed – but that probably was because she hadn't been present for the previous years. Also, she was also appointed as a prefect.

"I am a prefect too…" the alchemist gaped at her badge.

"What? But you just transferred in!" Ron gave voice to his disappointment.

"Dumbledore just probably wants her to have more privileges while on the school grounds. Being in the Order you know," Hermione explained to her redhead friend. "They can't really use her much if she is confined by all the rules that apply to regular students."

"Soooo unfair!" he wailed.

"Hermione…" the blonde began when everything was gone from her plate, and the conversation about the arrangements for the trip died down a little, but probably pronounced it wrong since she was interrupted.

"Just call me Mione if it's too hard," she kindly amended noting the foreign ring to the girl's speech.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your school books from the previous years. I have some catching up to do," the alchemist inquired.

"Sure! I have them up in my trunk!" she answered enthusiastically.

"Why the hell do you carry around your old books, Mione?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Who knows when I will need them!" the young witch shrugged her shoulders and rushed off to get said books.

She returned with a huge stack. Ed stood up quickly to lighten her load and made her way out to the garden to take up her residence under the shade of a tree to read in the lovely summer weather.

* * *

It was nice being back to the familiarity of books instead of computer screens Ed had to admit. She had read through all of them by the afternoon almost missing lunch in the process, but Mrs. Weasley was kind enough to bring her a plate.

The golden trio meanwhile watched her from the window.

"She is even bigger a bookworm than you Hermione! And that's something to say!" Ron glanced at his friend with a look.

"Hey, don't tease her!" the witch punched Ron on the shoulder. "Mrs. Weasley told me some about her. It must be hard to come from another world, not even know about the existence of magic then suddenly have to learn it all. I should know! I am muggle-born," Hermione huffed.

"Hey!" Harry protested. He had been brought up by muggles and clueless to all this until his eleventh birthday too.

"I'm going to give her my other books that are not on the curriculum too," she said storming off to her room then out the back door to the spot where the blonde sat.

"Hi!" Hermione greeted kindly as she sat down by Ed. "I brought you some more if you are interested."

"Sure!" the blonde perked up at the sight of another stack of books.

"I can help you if you don't get something," the witch offered.

"Nah, most of this pretty straightforward. History of Magic although boring was quite useful to get some background knowledge, but it offers no explanation what so ever about the origins of magic. Kind of a bummer. Astronomy is pretty much the same I guess, just different constellations than in my world. Potions is basically just chemistry, just had to memorize the different 'magical' ingredients and their properties…"

"Wait you already have all this memorized?" Hermione gaped at the alchemist.

"Yes…" Ed cocked a brow. _What was the big deal?_ "Anyway, so Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures is just biology with some extra creepiness… You will have a hard time convincing me how most of these creatures are not just products of cruel alchemical experiments though…"

"What do you mean?" the brunette wondered. Of course, she read about alchemy, but it was nothing related to alchemically bonding animals or any living things for that matter.

"Chimeras… and not just the ones you guys call chimaera. Hippogriffs and a bunch of others seem to me like they are a couple of different animals alchemically sewn together and are somehow able to breed."

"Alchemy can't do that, it's about potions, chemistry and transformation magic mostly…" Hermione trailed off… _Well, theoretically transformation magic could do that…_

"Believe me, where I come from alchemy can do that and even much much worse…" _human transmutation, human-animal chimeras, the Philosopher's Stone made and a Gate opened on a global scale…_ – she listed in her head while gazing up at the sky with a melancholic expression. _Nina…_

Hermione glanced at the blonde trying to read her and understand what is behind that expression of hers.

"Could you teach me alchemy?" the brunette asked sincerely. Ed snorted at that.

"Have you ever taken AP Chemistry and Physics and know all the ins and outs of the Periodical Table and molecular, structural makeup of elements and different substances?" the blonde asked with an impish smirk on her face. Ed knew very well that the witch hadn't taken such courses because she had spent her life in a magical school since she was eleven…

"Uhm… no… but I was a good student in elementary school too!" Hermione defended with a huff.

"Well get back to me when you do," Ed kept smirking to herself.

"Come on, that's just mean! I'm trying to help you out here too!" the Granger girl whined in disappointment.

"Okay, what is the soil that we are sitting on made from?" the alchemist decided to give it a shot.

"Uhm…" Hermione paused as she tried to recall her biology lessons from fifth grade. "Water, air, humus, all sorts of organic matter, some living organism and mineral particles."

"Good, exactly what minerals?" the blonde probed further, but she knew exactly there was no way Hermione would know. And just as she thought she got an angry stare from the brunette. "I'm not trying to baffle you here. The first law of alchemy is equivalent exchange. You cannot create anything from nothing, you have to work with what you've got. You need to _know_ and understand what you've got to work with. For example, this land around us is slightly acidic, it contains an abundance of nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, manganese, and boron, but not so much of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and molybdenum. If I wanted to create a steel spear from it, I would have to gather the iron for that from a much larger area than if it were a strongly acidic soil."

"You are amazing you know that?" the witch looked at the alchemist in awe. It was rare for her to meet anyone that knew more about stuff than she did and it was quite frankly getting boring for her.

"Uhm… thanks," Ed blushed embarrassedly. "Anyway, could I see your wand?"

Now came the tricky parts that made absolutely no sense to her in terms of the laws of alchemy. Charms, hexes, curses and counter-curses, and those parts in transfiguration that seemed to bypass equivalent exchange – _like turning a mouse into a chalice for fuck's sake!_ And all of these appeared to require the use of a wand.

"Sure… but you would achieve the best results with your own…" the brunette said as she pulled her wand out of her sweater pocket and gave it to Ed. Oh yes, Ed had read something about wandlore too, and it absolutely gave her the creeps… wands having a personality and choosing the wizard. Soul binding is what came to her mind.

Nonetheless, she gave it a go with a spell that seemed quite harmless, and she could even provide an explanation for. _Wingardium Leviosa_ – as Ed uttered the words and followed the hand movement that she learned from the text, the stack of books she pointed the wand at began to levitate, much to Ed's surprise. The alchemist didn't really think it would work.

How could it? Magic wasn't supposed to exist! And yet… of course, she still had her suspicions that this was somehow alchemy and she was just manipulating the density of air through that. But she had to admit that there were no transmutation circles and she didn't clap her hand together prior to starting the charm either.

Hermione broke out in applause which made the unsuspecting Ed jump a bit thus the spell was broken, and the books fell back in their original place.

Examining the glorified stick the blonde could tell that wands were used as some sort of conductor that channeled magic for the user, and she understood that different types of woods, magical cores, and wand lengths were somehow a factor in this. _Just like transmutation circles guide the energy of alchemy._ – she thought. – _I wonder if since I have seen the Gate, I would be able to do magic without a wand or uttering the words or possibly both._

She gave back the wand to Hermione and tried to concentrate on the stack again, this time only mentally spelling out the words of the charm. And it worked!

"How are you doing that?" the brunette asked in astonishment as she saw the yet again floating books.

"Uhm… since I am able to do alchemy without transmutation circles, I thought I'd give it a try if it applied to this as well," Ed shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ed… only the most powerful wizards or witches are able to perform magic without a wand and vocal spells. The only person we know of who is able to do that without either is Professor Dumbledore," Hermione stated in the most serious tone possible.

* * *

 **A/N: Ed knows about the educational system of countries like the US, UK and such terms as AP Chemistry and Physics from the research she did back in Marvel-verse when she wanted to get a degree.**


	4. Preparations

_**Chapter 4: Preparations**_

* * *

 _However_ _you look at it, magic brooms are just plain weird._ At least that was the conclusion Edeline arrived at after Harry tried to teach her how to ride one. She preferred both of her feet to be steady on the ground, thank you very much. Also, it seemed that her auto-mail would be a problem in this instance too since she couldn't quite balance it out despite having one metal limb on each side.

The alchemist earned some incredulous stares and gasps though when Harry – while explaining her the rules of Quidditch – released a snitch and Ed reflexively caught it before it had a chance to fly even two meters away. All this while on the ground.

"You should really reconsider. You would be a great Seeker!" the Potter boy exclaimed despite the fact that would mean he would be out of a position on the team.

"You forget the fact that broomsticks and I don't mix," the blonde laughed out. "And I'm not that good of a team player anyway. I prefer to get things done alone if I can. Well, maybe my brother is the one exception to that rule," she mused out loud.

"You have a brother?" Hermione asked as she joined them when she noticed that they had given up on the flying part. She wasn't all that good on a broom either.

"Yeah, Alphonse. He is a year younger than me," Ed explained. She was glad that this time it couldn't be questioned who was the younger or older one between the two of them. She hated when people assumed she was the younger one based on her height when she pretended to be a boy.

"Is he back in…?" the brunette witch probed further.

"Yes, in Amestris, at least I hope so after all the trouble I went through to finally get his body back…" the blonde stared into the distance. _It's been nearly two months that I've been away. Do they think I am dead?_

"What do you mean?" the other girl looked at the blonde confused.

"We tried to do something stupid when we were eleven and ten. As a result, his body has been in a limbo between life and death," she explained with a pained expression.

"Is that when you lost your limbs too?" Hermione caught on fast.

"Yeah…" Ed scratched the back of her head. The trio looked at each other meaningfully.

* * *

The day of the trip to Diagon Alley came in a blink. In the meantime, Ed tried her best to avoid Fleur Delacour like the plague. Her whole personality emitted a dose of fakeness that the alchemist just couldn't take. She found out from Hermione that she was quarter-Veela, a race of semi-human, semi-magical humanoids, whose looks and especially their dance is magically seductive to almost all male beings. For some reason, Ed thought that wasn't exclusive to males, so she just decided to steer clear of her. She had a good laugh over the nickname Ginny came up for her though… Phlegm.

When Bill Weasley – as it turns out Fleur's fiancé – came over with Harry's gold from Gringotts it dawned on the blonde that she had absolutely no means to pay for her stuff as she saw the magical community used some other currency than the Brits in general.

Harry quickly caught on though and offered to pay for her, despite Ed's protests.

The alchemist then wondered how the five of them are going to fit in the back seat of the ministry issued car that had been sent because of Harry and had to be amazed when they could comfortably sprawl out. _Magic, huh?_

The next surprise came when at the Leaky Cauldron, practically a giant waited for them as an escort or bodyguard. _Why the fuck am I needed then?_ – Ed grumbled to herself. They seemed to be on good terms though. After the giant – who the alchemist learned to be named Rubeus Hagrid released the Potter boy from the bone-crushing hug, which Edeline was glad she wasn't on the receiving end of, he turned to her.

"Yeh must the new gal Dumbledore is keepin' talkin' about," he beamed under all that bush that could be called a beard.

"Yup, the very same…" she smiled with a tight line to her lips and waved with her gloved hand at the giant. The man was taller than Al when he was a suit of armor, and quite frankly the alchemist felt even shorter than she really was, which, of course, put her in a sour mood.

The blonde shoved her hands in her pockets and followed the crowd to the various stores that they had to visit. The whole process oddly reminded her of the times when Winry would drag her around to buy auto-mail parts and tools. At least then she had the mechanic to cheer her up with her antics. _God, I miss you Winry… even your wrench…_

At least they had the sensibility to split up to do the shopping faster. Ed in need of robes – yuck in her opinion – too went with Hagrid and the kids (except Ginny who when with her parents to Flourish and Blotts) to Madam Malkin's. Hagrid stood guard outside while the four of them entered the little tailor shop.

A pale-looking blond boy was in there with his mother it seemed, and the trio quickly tensed up. Noticing this, Ed looked at them questioningly to which they indicated with eye and head motions that he was bad news, and mouthed the name 'Malfoy' to her. The alchemist, of course, learned all about the wizarding families and history from the books Hermione gave her, and knew at once that the father of the boy was a Death Eater.

The Slytherin boy was an obnoxious little brat if you asked the Fullmetal Alchemist, but on a whole different level than how she used to (or does sometimes still) act. At least she had something to show for it. Whereas this bastard…

"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," Malfoy commented to his mother. _Racist little scum…_ – people like this could make Ed's blood boil. The tailor lady admonished him, but the three boys had already drawn their wands two against one.

"No, don't, honestly, it's not worth it," Hermione tried to reason with them.

"Yeah, like you'd dare do magic out of school," the blond boy mocked them with a sneer.

Edeline quickly jumped into the situation, grabbing the annoying little shit by the collar with glaring eyes.

"They might not dare to do magic, but believe me I don't need magic _or_ alchemy for that matter to kick your sorry ass to the ground if you ever dare to insult any of my friends ever again, capiche?" Ed spat with venom still holding him by his clothes tightly. Just then a woman presumably the boy's mother came out from the back.

"If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do," the woman with half blond, half black hair threatened coldly. To that Ed released the collar with a little push, making the boy fall over his robes right onto his butt. Ron laughed loudly.

"Really?" Harry spoke trying to step around Edeline, but she stopped him with a held out arm and motioned with her head to not to say anything. The woman was as tall as Harry, and he looked at her glaringly.

"Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?" the alchemist spoke instead not at all intimidated by the slightly taller mother.

Madam Malkin squealed and clutched at her heart. Narcissa Malfoy turned her attention to the blond girl instead.

"And who exactly are you?" she uttered belittlingly as she scanned over Ed with disgust like she was some kind of worm stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"Not really any of your business, but someone who doesn't take power hungry, egotistical fools like you lightly and is going to kick your ass out of here if you don't go on your own accord," Ed taunted.

"I see that being Dumbledore's favorite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you. Neither are your little _girl_ friends," Malfoy's wife jeered at Harry as she turned her attention back to him.

Harry looked mockingly all around the shop.

"Wow... look at that... he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!" he rebutted, completely ignoring Ed this time, who tried to stop him. _Are you hell-bent on getting yourself killed, geez?_ – the blonde sighed to herself.

"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!" Malfoy snarled from the ground, still on his ass.

"It's all right, Draco," his mother said as she helped him up. "Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius."

Harry raised his wand higher.

"Harry, no!" Edeline practically ordered him before Hermione could say anything, grabbing his arm and pushing it down to his side. He threw a confused glance at her.

Madam Malkin decided to pretend like nothing was happening and bent toward Malfoy, who was still glaring at Harry, to continue her ministrations with adjusting the robes.

"I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just..."

"Ouch!" Malfoy bellowed, slapping her hand away. "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother, I don't think I want these anymore."

He pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor unceremoniously at Madam Malkin's feet.

"You're right, Draco," Narcissa stated then looked down at Hermione with a condescending glance. "With the kind of scum that shops here... We'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."

And with that, the pair of them strode out of the shop, Edeline throwing a threatening stomp after them.

"Wow, you were so cool!" Ron exclaimed enthusiastically at the blond alchemist. Hermione just stood by them self-consciously.

"Why did you do that?" Harry turned angrily to Edeline the minute the Malfoys were gone. "I could have handled the situation totally fine on my own."

"Yeah, clearly," Ed rolled the eyes at him. "Do you have a death wish or something?" the blonde asked him with a calm, collected voice. "Could you give us a minute?" she turned to Madam Malkin who still stood there rooted to the ground after the happenings. She snatched up the fallen robes and disappeared to the back of the shop.

"I don't!" Potter answered indignantly. But in the back of his mind, he felt guilty because he knew the fate that the prophecy had set him on. It's either him or Voldemort.

"Well, it seems like you do and quite frankly you are making _my_ job harder," Ed huffed.

"What do you mean your _job_?" Harry cried out.

"Keep your voice down!" the alchemist admonished and glanced toward the back before continuing in a whisper. "I'm not sure if Dumbledore wanted you to know or not. I don't really care either. But when he dropped me off at the Burrow, he gave me the instructions to keep you safe. Not really possible if you go and taunt the first Death Eater you come across, don't you think?"

Harry stood there dumbfounded, and it was Hermione this time who spoke.

"Why does Dumbledore think you are able to protect Harry? I mean we do have magic, already through our O.W.L.s, and you are still just learning now," the brunette scoffed. Ed laughed out at that loudly.

"First off, I don't need your magic to be able to do stuff. I have my alchemy too, but if those few tries I did with magic are anything to go by then I'm probably more capable than any of you, and I don't mean that offensively," – she added when she saw the angry expression Hermione threw her.

"Secondly, you don't know this, I'm guessing Mrs. Weasley was kind enough not to share my secrets, but back home I have been serving in the military for the last four years. I am well-versed in combat, strategical, tactical planning. Also before I got transported to this hell hole, we defeated a maniac Homunculus named Father – who wasn't all that different from You-Know-Who I might add – and his shlep who were threatening to wipe out our entire country with a nation-wide transmutation circle aimed at turning the population into a Philosopher's Stone. So please don't make me laugh that a few kids not even out of school can play better bodyguard to a boy who just screams of being eager to get into trouble."

The trio's jaws dropped. All sorts of thoughts ran through their minds. _Ed being military since twelve? Why? How? What are Homunculi? The Philosopher's Stone is made of human souls?_ None the less all of them in awe of the fierce little girl in front of them.

"Now let's get our fucking ridiculous robes before I have the urge to slap you across the face for being reckless ungrateful little brats," Ed huffed impatiently at their stunned expressions.

The rest of the shopping trip went without another incident if you don't count that when they visited Jimmy Kiddell's Wonderful Wands – since Ollivanders was closed due to the shop owner being kidnapped by Death Eaters – Ed almost blew the whole place up by the time they were able to find the right wand. Elder wood and dragon heart-string, 11 inches.

Last but not least they visited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop run by Fred and George. If the rumors were anything to go by, the twins were a mischievous troublemaker bunch, and she should steer clear of them.

But she had to admit they did have a sense of humor. In the dull and gloomy environment that was Diagon Alley, their shop stood out like fireworks on the 4th of July. _U-No-Poo…_ – she read on the sign that mocked the ministry pamphlets and rolled her eyes. Mrs. Weasley was of course horrified and worried for the safety of the boys at the same time.

The shop was full of all sorts of goods that were somehow funny or had a trick to them, but Ed wasn't that amused. She made sure to follow the trio around closely, in case they decided to do something stupid again instead of gawking at the stuff.

Everything went fine, Ed listening to the twins' banter with their siblings about discounts and boyfriends, until the trio spotted Draco Malfoy hurrying up the street alone, suspiciously glancing over his shoulder and they decided to see what he was up to under the Invisibility Cloak Harry pulled out of his bag. _Are you kidding me? Dammit, Dumbledore for not warning me that the boy had tricks like these under his sleeve!_

Unable to stop them from their own stupidity, she ducked quickly underneath too, the cloak barely covering them all. Harry commented that it was lucky that Ed was so short because otherwise the four of them wouldn't have been covered by the cloak. It took every ounce of the blonde's self-restraint not to shout or jump the boy for that remark.

They left the shop unnoticed and followed Malfoy into Knockturn Alley. Ed realized this was the backstreet where she had appeared only a few days ago. They finally found Draco in a shop called Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. The trio listened in on the conversation using Extendable Ears.

They were talking about fixing an object, that had a pair or something of it in the shop, then Malfoy left after practically threatening the shopkeeper by pulling up his left sleeve and dropping the name Fenrir Greyback. Nor the trio nor Ed could really make sense of it though. Ron reeled in the eavesdropping device.

"Could you see what he pointed at when he said 'that one'?" Harry asked.

"No, he was behind that cabinet..." Ron replied with a scowl.

"You three stay here," Hermione whispered to them.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Ed stopped her before she could get out from under the cloak. "If anyone is going in there, it will be me since no one knows me and I can pass off as a werewolf remember? They are allied with You-Know-Who," she stated, pointing to her golden orbs.

Oh just how glad the alchemist was that she had read all those books on magical creatures. The trio nodded warily, and Ed ruffled her hair a bit to look less well-kept and put on a sinister scowl on her face for show.

As the blonde went in, Ron quickly put the listening tool back under the door. Ed didn't greet Mr. Borgin or say anything really, just kept her grimace on as she looked around.

"May I help you, Miss…?" Mr. Borgin asked with a slightly frightened tone when he saw the girl's eyes.

"My name is none of your concern," she said with as much disdain in her voice as she could manage. She had come to learn enough of the demeanor those who supported Voldemort assumed when talking to others. Full of superiority and contempt.

"Are you possibly a friend of Mr. Greyback?" the shop owner tried again cautiously.

"Perhaps, but like I said none of your concern," _ah, this is too easy old man… I practically haven't said anything yet, and you have already given me the name that Malfoy threatened you with… so much for my plans of intricate interrogation techniques…_ "Your only concern is to do as the Malfoy boy asked of you," Ed walked towards the cabinet that she knew her objective was towards or behind, scraping her left-hand nails threateningly on the counter as she walked past it.

"Wow, she is good!" Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione outside to the door.

Mr. Borgin followed the blonde to the part of the shop in question and glanced at the cabinet nervously.

Ed followed his gaze and came to the conclusion that the object needing mending wasn't behind the cabinet but rather the cabinet itself. Although she still didn't know what the wardrobe could possibly do she decided this was enough information since the blonde didn't want to risk getting found out.

"Let's keep this visit of mine our little secret, shall we?" the alchemist smirked wickedly at the shopkeeper. "It would be best if Draco kept thinking that he was in charge of this operation and not the Dark Lord," Ed came to the assumptions that Malfoy was showing the death mark to Borgin earlier when he pulled up his left sleeve.

"Of c-course," the man stuttered as Ed strolled out of the shop.

Outside once out of view from the store window she joined the trio under the Invisibility Cloak.

"You are wicked you know that?" Ron enthused.

"Nah, just years of practice in interrogations and I did have my genetics to thank for my eye color this time. He was singing like a canary without me even prompting him directly," the others looked at her confused.

"It's the wardrobe," she stated bluntly. "When I mentioned Malfoy's task he tensed up and gazed towards it. It's a tell. It wasn't something behind it, but rather the cabinet itself."

"What does Draco want with a wardrobe?" Harry questioned with annoyance.

"I don't know, Harry, but twin or brother objects are powerful, they always have some sort of connection, just think of your wands with You-Know-Who," Hermione supplemented as she thought of the phenomena that Harry has told them about what happened at the end of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Or just think of George and Fred," Ron snickered, and everyone glanced at him with a "seriously?" look.

They managed to sneak back into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes undetected and pretended to have in the backroom all along.

* * *

In the last few weeks of the summer holidays, Ed decided to train Harry in a little bit of self-defense and combat outside of magic if he insisted on being a reckless jerk. Not every situation can be solved by magic, she explained when the raven-haired boy looked at her funny for the suggestion. Also training the body besides the mind was a lesson she learned from her own teacher that she decided to implement in this situation too. Well, her intentions were only partially this noble. Truth be told she was getting tired – right along with the rest of the trio – of Harry's constant rant about the Malfoy boy's activities, and this was an excellent opportunity for diversion.

When their first sparring match occurred, and Edeline threw Harry over her shoulder, Mrs. Weasley, of course, came rushing out.

"What do you think you are doing to that boy?" Molly was beyond outraged given her knowledge of both the mission that was given to the blonde by Dumbledore but also the alchemist's background.

"Teaching him, what else?" she answered nonchalantly as Harry got back up rubbing his behind.

"Ouch. That hurt!" he called out.

"Yeah, that's why we are going this in a grassy field and not on concrete," Ed smirked as she motioned for him to come at her again. Mrs. Weasley retreated back to the kitchen with a shake of her head, but since Harry went along with this nonsense, she couldn't really do anything about it.

By August 31st, she was quite pleased with his progress though, despite the fact that he was nowhere near actually landing a single blow on her.


	5. It's a magical place! (much like Tahiti)

_**Chapter 5: It's a magical place! (much like Tahiti)**_

* * *

The day before the departure for Hogwarts came without much forewarning, and although so uncharacteristic of Ed, she was a bit nervous. Well, not about the other kids that are going to the school. More like the craziness that she was going to encounter. She had a feeling that more of the same would be coming. Things that defied her logic and worldview. _This is what Truth wanted though, isn't it? Well, it got it…_

Harry was, of course, still rambling on about Malfoy, and then he suddenly had an epiphany.

"He's a Death Eater," the raven-haired boy uttered slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"

The others disagreed or at least had a hard time excepting this fact. Of course, Ed knew better. She came to this revelation on the day they were at Diagon Alley.

"I agree with Harry," the blonde interjected. The others looked at her in shock. Harry because someone finally acknowledged his suspicions – and it was Ed of all people – Ron and Hermione for her giving a horse under Harry's imagination. "Age means absolutely nothing, just look at me," Ed shrugged her shoulders.

Satisfied, Harry got his laundry of Quidditch clothes and decided to leave the three of them.

"I thought you were supposed to keep him safe, not give him wild ideas!" Hermione exclaimed once Potter was out of earshot.

"And that is supposed to mean that I should lie to him and pretend to disagree?" the alchemist gave them a serious look. "Keeping him in the dark will only make him more desperate and reckless in my opinion. I don't intend to follow Dumbledore's lead in this weird head game he is playing with him sometimes."

The two glanced at each other with a meaningful look.

"Yes, I know about the prophecy before you go speculating," Ed added as she continued to pack her trunk. It's not like she got too much stuff anyway. "Not that I believe in this shit. I think you are the master of your own destiny. He has to decide to follow this path. Not some old man who had partially lost his marbles and is throwing him into the fray like a sacrificial lamb. Nobody ever forced me to face Father and the Homunculi either."

"So you think he shouldn't face You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked quietly.

"That's not what I am saying. But he needs to be ready, and right now he is not," the blonde paused to look at them. "Right now he is a teenaged boy battling his own insecurities and demons. With that attitude, he is just going to get himself killed."

Hermione couldn't really disagree with that. During the last school year when Dumbledore was avoiding Harry, he had been a ball of pent-up anger and frustration that he seemed to take out on everyone around him. Umbridge and her sadistic approach to reining in Harry didn't help with that either.

* * *

The departure the next morning went smoother than expected and they were off to London in the spacey ministry issued cars in no time, their luggage and pets safely in the trunk of the car. Ed had a good laugh at Ron when Ginny tripped him up before saying goodbye to Fleur.

At the train station, there was no Hagrid this time to escort them but rather two, grumpy looking, aurors. Harry was irritated by them immensely so Ed decided to follow him closely – before he gives everyone the slip – right through the barrier to the magically hidden platform. Or alchemically. The blonde still wasn't convinced about the opposite.

Before they boarded the train, Potter drew Mr. Weasley out of earshot of the others to tell him something. Probably about his suspicions about Malfoy, Ed was sure and rolled her eyes.

"You have to patrol the corridors with us too, Edeline," Hermione added to the alchemist self-importantly. The blonde gave her a look.

"I will stay with Harry," she stated with a no-nonsense attitude.

"Right," the brunette relented begrudgingly and stormed off with Ron.

The alchemist loaded her trunk onto the train and in an empty compartment then waited by the door for Harry to return, which he did, almost missing the train. She helped him with the trunk right along with Mr. Weasley, and the couple saw them off with warnings to Harry to stay safe.

People stared and whispered about Potter being the 'Chosen One' shamelessly as they walked to their seats. Harry wanted to invite Ginny to sit with them, but she had other plans, which seemed to put the boy in a sour mood.

A brown-haired boy named Neville and a blond girl, Luna, who Ed thought was a bit eccentric, had joined them. It seemed that they were Harry's friends, so Ed didn't mind, she just sat down by the window arms crossed and stared at the view outside, not taking part in the conversation after the introductions. A strong sense of déjá vu came over the blonde as she thought of the many train rides she took with Al while they roamed the country in search of the Philosopher's Stone. _But he wasn't here now…_

A group of girls came to persuade Harry to sit with them, but before Ed could object he had already handled them. After a while, the raven-haired boy had a similarly gloomy expression on his face as Edeline, and she had the urge to shake him out of it, but Neville and Luna beat her to the question. Well, Luna more like started talking gibberish, so the boys decided to talk sports instead. Ed didn't mind though. Al always told her that she wasn't all that tactful when it came to comforting people, so she preferred to stay in silence.

It was around lunchtime that Ron and Hermione showed up.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," Ron mused with a longing expression as he slumped into the seat beside Harry and rubbed his grumbling stomach. "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna. Guess what?" he added, turning to Harry. "Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

To that Hermione shot a condemning look to Ed too. The blonde rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tighter together and stared back out the window as they chatted away about how odd this behavior was from Malfoy.

She was brought out of her thoughts when a younger looking girl opened the compartment door again and delivered two parchments to Neville and Harry. They were invited by one of their teachers, named Horace, to join him for lunch in compartment C. When they decided to go, Ed got up too.

"You weren't invited," Hermione commented with resentment. It seemed she was jealous that she wasn't either.

"See if I care," the alchemist retorted with a sly grin. "Where he goes I go remember?"

Harry shrugged, he didn't really care either way.

Hermione huffed as she crossed her arms but didn't say another word.

Along the hallway, there was more of the same. A lot of whispers and staring, and Ed felt her palm twitch in anger. _Seriously, these people…_

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn greeted them jumping up enthusiastically when they reached compartment C. He had a shiny bald head, and great silvery mustache and a big round belly that sort of reminded Ed of Gluttony. "Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!" then glanced at Ed. "You are?"

"Edeline Elric," she commented curtly with a severe expression that made the teacher not question her presence any further. Looking between Harry and her, he probably assumed she was his girlfriend or something, but she couldn't care less. The others in the car were introduced to them, and Slughorn chatted everyone up about their famous or influential family members some of which the professor had taught in the past. _Stuck up elitist club, eh?_ Ed and Harry exchanged looks.

Before Horace turned to Harry, it seemed he was adamant to find out about the blonde that crashed their party per se.

"So Edeline…" he started sickly sweetly.

"Just call me Ed," the alchemist interjected. The Slytherin boy – named Blaise was he? – snickered at the boy nickname and the blonde threw him a murderous glare that shut him right up.

"Ed, tell us a little about yourself," now this was a tricky question. _What should I reveal?_

"I'm a transfer student, this is my first year at Hogwarts, will be a sixth-year, just like Harry. Homeschooled so far. Well-versed in alchemy mostly," that was technically true Ed concluded, quite pleased with herself.

"Oh my, we will get along wonderfully then! I will be your new Potions Master from this year," the professor looked around. Harry almost choked on his drink. He thought Dumbledore had him recruit Slughorn for the DADA position. What will Snape teach then?

"Our take on alchemy is probably different, but yes I suppose," the blonde commented with a smile that couldn't really be distinguished from a grimace.

"Potion-making is closely related to alchemy right along with chemistry and transformation magic," Slughorn seemed a bit offended.

"Then let's just say my alchemy is more closely related to chemistry, physics, and other _sciences_ ," the alchemist mimicked the teacher's intonation but emphasized the word science.

"Would you care to show us?" Horace pushed enthusiastically now intrigued by this strange new student.

Ed sighed and looked around the compartment what she could use and decided on the luggage rack above her head that didn't have any trunks on it. She stepped up on her seat to reach it, not caring whether the others approved of her manners or not. She clapped her hands together and transmuted the rack into an intricately designed cage, equipped with a little birdie inside that sat on a swing that could even move. Although her design could be considered tacky by some. She loved horns and other devilish elements that also adorned the top of her newest creation.

"Just marvelous!" Horace applauded inspecting the detail of the handiwork. He wasn't at all sorry now that the girl joined them uninvited. _Without a wand or spells! How fascinating…_ He did note that the rack was gone though as he glanced up. Following his gaze Ed quickly restored the property of the Hogwarts Express before anyone could object or question.

"And now…" Slughorn began, turning his full attention to the boy sitting next to Ed. "Harry Potter! Where to begin?" Ed just tuned out the rest. And she was sure that Harry wished that he could too.

* * *

Finally, they were let off when it was already sunset, meaning they were getting close to the school. Ed earlier had to choke back a gagging sound though when Slughorn referred to their little gathering as the 'Slug Club,' which she heard no matter how hard she tried to ignore the many anecdotes that the professor seemed to have an endless supply of.

Edeline was about to return to their compartment when Harry vanished under his Invisibility Cloak that he brought along without Ed's knowledge and disappeared.

"Neville, where did he go?" she asked the other boy frantically.

"I dunno…" he trailed off.

 _Damn you, Harry Potter!_ – the blonde cursed under her breath. She was starting to suspect that she needed to be more alert around him if he was insistent on being reckless and giving her the slip around every corner. Sighing, she decided to return to their compartment. She wasn't going to be able to find him with the cloak anyway.

The blonde changed quickly into the hated school robes, then after trusting Ron to take care of her luggage if they arrived at the school before she could return, she went back out to the hall to look and wait for Harry. Fully intending to give him a piece of her mind when he would show up.

But he didn't, not even when the train was already coming to jerking halt as they approached the station.

"Dammit Harry! Where are you?" the alchemist paced around impatiently, looking in every compartment in case he was somehow miraculously there. She decided to go back towards compartment C and beyond thinking maybe he went that way. She passed a bunch of Slytherins as they headed for the exit and that Zabini boy was among them too. Having a bad feeling, she quickened her steps and reached a compartment the blinds of which were closed shut just as she arrived. She could just make out Malfoy in there before they did. _I should have known!_ – Ed shook her head mentally.

The alchemist stormed in at the same moment Malfoy pointed his wand at the luggage rack on top and said "Petrificus Totalus!"

Something fell down with a floor-shaking crash at Malfoy's feet, and as the Invisibility Cloak ruffled under the boy, Harry was revealed on the floor with his legs still curled absurdly into the cramped kneeling position. Before the Slytherin boy could do anything else, Ed jumped him and punched him the face with her right fist, snatching his wand from his right hand with her left in the process.

"What did I tell you about me and my friends?" the alchemist spat with unmitigated rage as she pinned the now scared blond boy to the window with her lower arm at his throat. "Now get the fuck out of here before I decide that a broken nose is not enough of a punishment for your cowardly ass."

She threw him out onto the hallway with his trunk and wand right behind and shut the compartment door closed. Ed rummaged through her mind quickly for a counter curse for the paralyzing one Draco had placed on Harry.

"Finite Incantatem," she muttered the first one that came to her mind that was supposed to work as a general counterspell. The blonde didn't have her wand with her but it worked anyway, and if she were religious at all she would have thanked the heavens for her gift. "Come quickly. The train is about to depart again," Ed said as she helped the boy off the floor.

"How?" Harry managed to ask, unsure if it was directed towards the reason she looked for him, or the means by which she found him, or the way she was able to perform magic without a wand.

"Not now. Hurry," the blonde ushered him along, and they were able to step off the train before it started to move again.

Just then Tonks came running towards them.

"Thank Merlin!" she let out an relieved sigh. _More like 'thank Ed' but whatever…_ – Ed thought. "I was about to go look for you," she waved her wand, and a silvery four-legged creature appeared, leaving for Hogwarts.

"Was that a Patronus?" Harry asked, who had seen Dumbledore send messages like this.

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you, or they'll worry. Come on, we'd better not dawdle. I was right about you Ed, I'm happy that we managed to persuade Remus," she finally acknowledged the blonde.

"Well, if Harry wasn't insistent on giving me the slip then none of this would have happened," she threw a glare that made the boy cower.

"You'd better put that cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school. You too Ed," Tonks added without a smile.

The school was a long ways away, but fortunately, Ed wasn't all that bothered by it. They had walked far longer with Al before. There was a strained, short conversation between the others that Ed decided to ignore. She had a feeling they were – or at least Harry was – somehow dancing around the topic of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and Tonks' cousin who had passed away a few months ago as Ed had learned during the summer.

They reached the gate to the castle grounds which Harry tried to open magically, but even Ed had to laugh at that. It was loud and clear in the book _Hogwarts: A History_ that Hermione had lent her that these won't work and with the added threats of Voldemort she was sure the security was stepped up a notch. Tonks confirmed this right after too.

The man that came to get them was… well, unfriendly and untrustworthy looking was a mild way of putting it. He had an evident distaste for Harry and insulted Tonks' Patronus too. The greasy haired man had deducted 70 points from Gryffindor by the time they reached the Great Hall. And Ed didn't even know the bat's name yet.

"And you Miss Elric…" _well, at least you know my name I guess…_ "Fifty points also for lateness from…" he paused realizing that Ed wasn't sorted yet.

"You might feel privileged to bully Harry around, but that will not be the case with me. I'm not like your other students. I can stand up for myself if the situation calls for it. You better remember that. Do we understand each other Professor…?" Ed stated in her usual bold stance.

"Professor Snape," he amended in a clipped tone, not at all amused by the girl's attitude.

"Do we understand each other, Professor Snape?" the blonde questioned again coldly.

Something told Severus in the determined golden eyes of the new student that she meant everything she said. And that she could follow through with them too, they were not empty words of a young powerless and impressionable child.

"We do," Snape uttered begrudgingly as he opened the doors to the Great Hall. "No cloak. You can walk in so that everyone sees you, which is what you wanted, I'm sure," he added to Harry who was fidgeting nervously beside them.

The Gryffindor boy walked towards his table as fast as he could while Edeline was forced to go all the way to the other end of the hall to the staff table. Everyone stared either at her or at Harry, but Ed decided to ignore the attention. A stern looking, tall, older witch in emerald colored robes and grey hair pulled into a neat, tight bun met them halfway.

"I'm Professor McGonagall. If you would follow me please," the woman said turning around and leading Ed off to a little room opening from the side by the teacher's table.

* * *

"Please, sit," McGonagall motioned toward a small stool in the middle of the room. While she got the Sorting Hat, much to both of their surprise, Dumbledore decided to join them.

"Before you put that thing on my head you have to convince me that it's not an object with a soul alchemically bound to it," Ed looked severely at both of her new teachers. She read of the sorting ceremony, but there was no explanation provided there how the talking hat was able to do what it did.

"I assure you nothing like that is the case. The hat was enchanted by one of the founders of the school over a thousand years ago to do the sorting once they were dead," the headmaster explained.

Well, based on Al's example whose soul was starting to get rejected by the piece of armor just after five short years, the alchemist had to agree that this explanation probably didn't apply here. She nodded warily giving her permission to the witch to place the Sorting Hat on her head.

As soon as it touched her forehead, a voice began to speak in her mind.

 _"_ _Well… well… you are not from this world… been in two others actually… one in the past and one in the future… and the magic you possess… not anything I have seen before… and let me tell you I have seen plenty…"_ it rambled on.

 _"_ _Could we get to the point already?"_ Ed grunted impatiently in thought.

 _"_ _Anxious and restless, are we? I see a lot of courage… brave to the point of stupidity… no regard for self-preservation…"_ the hat mused.

 _"_ _Are you planning on insulting me the whole time?"_ the alchemist interrupted with a roll of her eyes.

 _"_ _Also clever and sly, ambitious, resourceful… hunger for knowledge, to understand the workings of the universe… already a master of alchemy…"_ the sentient object continued listing Ed's qualities as it looked through her head and thoughts much to the blonde's annoyance.

 _"_ _Could you just decide already?"_ she huffed.

 _"_ _But also gentle at heart to those close to your heart… Alphonse…"_ the hat came across the name and an image alternating between a kind-faced blond boy who looked similar to the girl and a huge suit of armor.

 _"_ _Leave my brother out of this!"_ Ed managed with the loudest mental voice she could muster.

 _"_ _All four houses would suit you well, Edeline…"_ it stated with confusion.

 _"_ _Just don't put me with a bunch of dimwits who can't stand up for themselves or those Slytherin bastards… I have read about the history of this place. I don't think I can stomach some conniving little assholes who are hung up on this racist little fling going on regarding purebloods and muggle-borns that Voldemort seems to be riding on too…"_ the blonde stated her views based on what she read about some of the houses in the school. Despite her protests to certain houses, she still found this whole sorting thing quite frankly prejudiced.

 _"_ _No Hufflepuff and Slytherin then, eh? You would have done well in Slytherin though, they would have helped achieve your goals… of going home finally…"_ the Sorting Hat offered.

 _"_ _Oh trust me, I will go home no matter what, and I much rather do it the right than the easy way!"_ the alchemist laughed out humorlessly.

 _"_ _Ravenclaw or Gryffindor… tough choice… almost impossible…"_ it pondered out loud.

 _"_ _If you are going to put me anywhere at least let me wear red with this abomination called robes!"_ Ed made a last attempt to move the proceedings along that seemed to take forever. _"That way I can keep an eye on Harry too…"_

Many minutes have passed in silence, and Ed was growing annoyed with the whole thing. Then the hat was suddenly snatched from her head.

"Hey! It hasn't decided yet," the blonde huffed.

"An hour has already passed, Miss Elric. The feast has ended too," McGonagall informed her.

"Well, it seems the first time in history the Sorting Hat can't make a decision," Dumbledore chuckled who seemed to had left the room during this time and was just now returning.

"We already had it down to two… but since you so graciously bestowed me with the job of babysitting Harry Potter, I think it would be wise to put me in Gryffindor anyway," the alchemist crossed her arms.

"You don't need to continue that now that he is on school grounds," the headmaster said with a twinkle in his eye like he knew exactly how much Ed hated this job anyway. Also, he knew how troublesome the Potter boy could sometimes be since literally every single school year he had been able to get into some kind of trouble one way or another. "Besides I thought you wished to be exempt from attending the regular classes. How would you have managed that if you had to sit in on Harry's classes?"

"Right…" the blonde rolled her eyes which earned her a disapproving look from the female professor for disrespecting the headmaster of the school in this way.

"But either way, yes, it would be most prudent if you joined the Gryffindors even if we can't formally sort you into any house without the decision of the Sorting Hat," Dumbledore stated finally.

"How about just erase the whole system altogether since it seems quite racist and generates hatred between the houses anyway. Not to mention that there must be something terribly wrong with Slytherin if it keeps producing dark wizards all around," the Fullmetal Alchemist suggested cocking a brow and crossing her arms.

"Some might not be ready for that change yet," the old man winked at her, but at the same time didn't disagree. Then with a wave of his hand, he summoned a plate of food for the blonde. "You must be hungry."

"Very!" she exclaimed and started to wolf the thing down not even caring how the food got there. She read something about the Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, so she assumed that it was transported from the kitchens or somewhere and not made out of thin air.

When Ed was finished, she was escorted by McGonagall to the Gryffindor tower. On their way there the alchemists' jaw was practically brushing the floor. Moving paintings and stairs, ghosts floating and creepy suits of armors that seemed to change position if you looked hard enough. The alchemist was itching for answers but by the time they reached the top of one of the highest towers that gave home to the Gryffindor dormitories she was so tired from all that had happened that day that the blonde just couldn't muster the energy to ask the strict head of the house.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm offering virtual cookies again to the person first commenting what the title is referring to :)**

 **And please please review! I get a kick out of those. I love hearing your thoughts on the story! The more and longer the merrier!**


	6. I should be so lucky - lucky lucky lucky

_**Chapter 6: I should be so lucky - lucky, lucky, lucky**_

* * *

The next morning Ed was up bright and early. She hadn't even realized that she was sharing a room with Hermione when she had practically collapsed on her bed to sleep. They weren't on such good terms though it seemed. Not that the blonde cared about trivial things like this. They got ready and went down to the common room only to be joined by Harry and Ron. The raven-haired boy lost no time in telling Hermione what he had overheard Malfoy saying on the Hogwarts Express and also how the blond alchemist had saved him, punching Draco in the nose and freeing him with using a wand.

"Yeah about that!" Ed suddenly remembered the rage she felt for Harry over the incident and slapped him across his face with her left hand. "Rely on others sometimes for fuck's sake!"

Ron and Hermione stood there shocked. After this whole debacle, Edeline had a real appreciation for the position she and Al had put Sergeant Denny Brosh and 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross in when they had given their escorts the slip to go investigate Laboratory 5 back home, and Ed ended up getting seriously hurt. Oh, what a fiasco that was. Especially dancing around the doctors so that they didn't find out her gender.

Then suddenly Hermione _hugged_ her.

"Thank you for keeping Harry safe," she mumbled through her tears in the blonde's ear. It seemed Ed was back in her good graces after all. "Also… keep your wand with you and at least pretend to use it," the brunette added as she pulled back, wiping a tear away from her eyes. "You don't need everyone finding out what you are capable of."

"Right…" the alchemist muttered taken aback and embarrassed about the close contact.

"So you are in Gryffindor too?" Ron asked this time but looked perplexedly at the lack of red-gold additions to her school robes.

"Actually, I'm a houseless vagrant," Ed said with a huge grin that made all of them look at her confused. "The Sorting Hat couldn't make a decision, so officially no, but for all reasons and purposes Dumbledore said to tag along with Gryffindor anyway."

"During my sorting, the hat was debating over Gryffindor and Slytherin too, but I just flat out told it, that I didn't want to be in Slytherin," Harry commented still rubbing his cheek from the slap.

"Well, it wanted to put me in all four of them… I made it exclude Slytherin and Hufflepuff for similar reasons, but then it got hung up between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," the blonde shrugged.

"So that's why you were gone for so long…" Hermione chimed in as they headed for the wall opening out of the common room. "We were wondering…"

Down at the Great Hall during breakfast Professor McGonagall was working out everyone's schedule based on what O.W.L. results they got at the end of the last term. With the changes in staff, Harry and Ron were able to take the N.E.W.T. level Potions class which delighted them since Potter wanted to become an auror. He had almost given up on that dream because Snape wouldn't have let him continue on that subject if he was still teaching it.

"As for you Miss Elric, from first period we will be holding a combined O.W.L. examination with the staff for you. Come to my office off the first-floor corridor after breakfast," the strict professor turned to Ed. She just nodded as her face was stuffed with food at that moment.

The blonde earlier decided to take the O.W.L.s on practically every possible subject despite the fact that some – like Divination – were just preposterous.

* * *

When she reached McGonagall's office, she was lead off to a big classroom where the practical parts of the exams could be performed too. On subjects like Astronomy and Care of Magical Creatures it was decided upon that the practical exams would be skipped and if the blonde decided to continue them, then she would be tested on those in class or privately by the professors teaching it. For the beginning, all of the staff made their appearance then depending on who had a free period they rotated each other to administer their exams to Ed.

The blonde heeded Hermione's warnings and was careful to always use her wand when either Flitwick, McGonagall or Snape required her to perform some sort of spell. The tests went faster than any of the teachers would have thought. On the theoretical parts, Ed scribbled so quickly that they had a hard time keeping up with her hand movements. So they were actually done by the middle of the third period. The teachers graded her as soon as she was done, so the blonde got her results instantly. Ed looked over the parchment that held grades.

* * *

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

.

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

.

Edeline Elric has achieved:

Arithmancy O

Astronomy O

Care of Magical Creatures E

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination P

Herbology O

History of Magic E

Muggle Studies O

Potions O

Study of Ancient Runes O

Transfiguration O

* * *

She had to say, not bad at all given that she had only started learning this stuff a month ago. _Hermione is going to be so pissed!_ – she chuckled to herself.

"So which subjects would you like to continue with?" Professor McGonagall brought her out from her musings with a proud smile. Although Ed wasn't officially a Gryffindor, Minerva still felt that this talented new student belonged to her house.

"Uhm…" the blonde pondered for a moment. "I read somewhere that upon interest there is Alchemy taught too. Is that a possibility?"

"Since Dumbledore agreed that you can self-study or take private lessons with the teachers, there is no reason why not. Professor Dumbledore usually teaches it."

"Then I guess Alchemy, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Study of Ancient Runes, and Defense Against the Dark Arts," the Fullmetal Alchemist listed. She was careful to choose subjects that might come handy one way or another. She was thrilled that Hermione had shown her the Ancient Runes books too since she found that many of the symbols in there were similar to the ones they used on transmutation circles back home.

"Here is your schedule…" McGonagall tapped on a blank piece of parchment with her wand and handed it to her. "In case you do decide to attend some of them. Also, Professor Dumbledore asked me to hand you this," she added passing her the permission slip to the restricted section of the library.

"Thank you," the blonde muttered as she read over the papers given to her.

* * *

She initially headed for the Gryffindor common room but got lost on the way because the periodically changing stairs led her off the path that she had taken the night before with the Transfiguration teacher. In the end, it was lunch already, so she turned back to go to the Great Hall where she met up with the trio.

"So how did you do?" Hermione asked her eagerly, and Ed handed her the parchment with the results. The brunette scowled with a tight line in her lips.

"Is it that bad?" Ron asked as he snatched the paper away to see for himself. His eyes went wide. "Nine Outstandings, two Exceeds Expectations and a failed Divination?"

"It seems you have some competition, Hermione," Harry chuckled as he took a look too.

"And she has only been aware of magic for a month!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione huffed at that.

"This is not a competition," Ed admonished them yanking the exam results back.

"So you are coming to Potions with us after the free period that we have after lunch?" Ron offered. The blonde sighed.

"I wasn't planning on it since I can do free studies in the library…" the alchemist pondered then when she saw the stares they were giving her, ranging from astonishment to resentment, she relented. "But sure why not."

"How was DADA?" Ed asked a little later when she remembered what class the boys had in the morning along with Hermione.

"Dreadful…" Harry trailed off. "I got detention, but unluckily for Snape, I can skip because I will have private lessons with Dumbledore on Saturday evening."

"Snape gave us so much and so difficult homework!" Ron whined looking pleadingly at Hermione to help them.

* * *

After lunch they went back to the common room, the trio worked on their DADA homework, while Ed read the 6th year Potions book that had been assigned to them. It only infuriated her though. It seemed there were many inaccuracies in the recipes for the potions since some things just wouldn't add up based on her previous chemistry knowledge and the principles she learned from the earlier course books.

The trio had only just finished their homework when the bell rang, indicating that they had to leave. Ed found the dungeon that housed the classroom very gloomy, much like Father's lair below Central.

Not counting the alchemist, only twelve people were taking the N.E.W.T. level Potions class. Four Slytherins, including Malfoy, Four Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff, and Harry's trio.

The Hufflepuff, named Ernie McMillan seemed to know the trio, and they chatted away before Slughorn opened the door for them, greeting Harry, Ed, and Zabini with particular enthusiasm.

Ed joined the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuff by the gold-colored cauldron out of the three that already stood steaming in the classroom. The scent coming from the cauldron reminded Ed of grassy fields, metal and – oddly – mechanic oil, with a hint of femininity provided by sandalwood that instantly connected to Winry in the blonde's mind.

The Potions master had them all get their books out, and Harry raised his hand informing the teacher of his and Ron's situation. They quickly got a pair of battered up copies of Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage, which he gave to Harry and Ron along with two sets of tarnished scales.

Slughorn continued on a rant about the potions in the cauldrons before them. Ed was bored already, she knew exactly what was in them by just looking before the teacher could even ask. Veritaserum, Polyjuice Potion, Amortentia and Felix Felicis. Hermione seemed to know too, so the blonde decided to let her have her thunder earning Gryffindor 20 + 10 points. It's not like Ed wanted to show off or had a house to gain points for anyway.

Everyone in the room perked up when Slughorn offered the liquid luck potion as a prize for the person doing the best in that class though. Even Ed, although she assumed that stuff like this wouldn't work on Truth anyway if she tried to use it when she returned to the Gate.

The task was to make – or at least attempt to make – the Draught of Living Death from page ten of the book. Everyone busied themselves with the potion-making, trying to shield their work as much as they could from the others.

Ed grunted when she opened up the book. This was one of the potions she thought the instructions of which were incorrect. She decided to go with her gut instead and got her ingredients: Water, Powdered root of asphodel, Infusion of Wormwood, Valerian root, Sopophorous Bean, Sloth brain, and started to prepare them.

The alchemist neatly cut up her roots, then based on her herbology and biology knowledge Ed decided to crush the Sopophorus bean instead of cutting it as it would give more juice that way. Her potion turned from the smooth black current color to the required light shade of lilac. According to the book, she had to stir counterclockwise until the potion turned clear as water. Ed pondered for a moment. If alchemy was anything to go by here, then in order for this potion to change there must also be some kind of change in the way she stirred it. Upon instinct, she added a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise one.

And much to her relief, the potion began to pale out as she continued in this pattern. Ed glanced around and saw that the only one being close to the results she achieved was Harry. He looked quite elated.

"And time's… up!" Slughorn called. "Stop stirring, please!"

He went around the classroom checking everyone's work. Only Hermione got an approving nod. That is until he saw Harry's and Ed's cauldron.

"The clear winners!" Slughorn cried delightedly. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are – one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!" _Favoritism much?_ – Ed snorted under her breath but decided not to comment. It wasn't Harry's fault, and he did just as well as she did.

* * *

That is until at the dinner table Harry told them the truth.

"I suppose you think I cheated?" he finished, aggravated by Hermione's expression.

"Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?" she said stiffly. "What about you?" the brunette asked turning accusatorially to Ed.

"Don't look at me, I went by gut instinct," the blonde huffed a bit angry herself but suddenly had a better idea. "When you do decide to use it, leave me a few drops on the bottom," she commented to the raven-haired boy between bites. If that little vial really lasted for twelve hours, she would only need that much for what she planned on using it. Of course, she wasn't going to rush into the Gate with it, but when she could finally figure out what Truth wanted from her exactly, it wouldn't hurt to have a little luck on her side too as she crossed.

"A few drops wouldn't last more than ten minutes! What would want with it?" Hermione questioned incredulously.

"That's all I need to get back home," Ed replied solemnly.

"I thought you said it was dangerous to cross the Gate and that there was a price to pay or something," the brunette pushed on. During the many reading sessions over the summer, Ed had told her some about alchemy, equivalent exchange, and the gate. Of course, never mentioning how it was to be opened, in case, Hermione was prone to get weird ideas.

"It is, and don't worry I'm not putting my faith in those few drops, but the boost wouldn't hurt either I guess," the alchemist shrugged. Harry nodded to her as a promise to save her some of it. He felt a little bad that he ended up winning it when Ed earned it on her own power.

"He only followed different instructions to ours," Ron said to Hermione trying to appease her. "Could've been a catastrophe, couldn't it? But he took a risk, and it paid off. See Ed isn't mad at him either!" he heaved a sigh. "Slughorn could've handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one's ever written on. Puked on, by the look of page fifty-two, but…"

Ginny interrupted them and glared at Harry over something called Riddle's diary and him following a stranger's instructions from a book. Hermione perked up at the suggestion and decided to inspect the book with magic. In the meanwhile, Ed chose to ask Ginny further about her concerns. As it turns out the diary had a piece of Voldemort's soul affixed to it. Soul binding she understood, but to actually break apart one's soul… that was a completely different topic.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Ed decided not to join the trio for either of their lessons as she found them an absolute waste of time. Especially after having read through all of the books for them by Tuesday. Instead, she got herself closely acquainted with the librarian, Madam Irma Pince, as she would spend most of her days in the library. Never hurts to be friendly with the person guarding all the source of knowledge.

The other students might have found her unpleasant, but they seemed to get along quite well. It must be the love for books. Madam Pince was suspicious at first of the carte blanche permission slip the blonde had to the restricted section of the library from Dumbledore. Probably had even personally gone up to the headmaster to check the authenticity of the note. Later on, she had warned Edeline not to take any of those books out of the library. Not that she wanted to. She was perfectly fine reading in there, sometimes even missing meals because she was so caught up.

On Saturday, the alchemist decided to stay in the common room though, sitting sideways in one of the big armchairs, reading one of the advanced ancient runes books she found in the regular part of the library, while the trio did homework. Hermione was still cross with Harry for his continued use of the Half-Blood Prince's side notes in Potions. Ed was getting tired of it though. _I mean come on… he did offer you to use it too… he can't help it if you are a rule-freak with a stick up in your ass…_

"It's five to eight, I'd better go, I'll be late for Dumbledore," Harry exclaimed suddenly and got up to leave for his private lesson with the headmaster.

"Ooooh!" Hermione gasped, looking up at once. "Good luck! We'll wait up, we want to hear what he teaches you!"

To tell the truth, Ed was curious too. She was hoping the crazy old man would teach something to the boy already that would leave him more prepared for what was coming for him. After learning that the diary they destroyed in their second year had a piece of Voldemort's soul in it, she had an inkling of a feeling that there might be more.

"Try not to the get ambushed by Malfoy! I won't be there to save your ass this time!" the Elric girl called after him flatly without glancing up from her book.

"Haha! Very funny…" the raven-haired boy grimaced at her then left through the portrait hole. Ed allowed herself a little smirk when she knew he couldn't see anymore.

"Hope it goes okay," Ron commented with worry to the pair of them.

They continued on what they were doing when suddenly Ed gasped and dropped the book on the table and started scribbling away frantically on an empty parchment she grabbed from Hermione's stack.

"Not five… seven…" she muttered to herself as she shook her head.

"What did you find?" Hermione looked up at her.

"Nothing… just making adjustments to a theory of mine," the alchemist kept on writing. The bushy haired girl peered over and tried to read it upside down, very much like the boys always tried with her homework.

"Don't bother, even if you can make out my handwriting I code everything that I write," she went into total Fullmetal mode. Serious, determined and obnoxious.

"You code your writing? Why haven't I thought of that!" Hermione smirked as she thought of the possibilities for her class notes so that the boys wouldn't keep borrowing them.

"Alchemist habits, so that my work doesn't get into the wrong hands," Ed explained without glancing up, concentrating on her work.

"Clever…" the brunette mused as she read what seemed like a travel journal and had come to the conclusion that indeed she wouldn't be able to decipher the hidden meaning behind it.

"Since when have you studied alchemy?" the witch tried to keep the conversation up.

"We started seriously looking into it with my brother when I was five," the blonde admitted with a grief-stricken expression. _To bring our mother back…_ – she added mentally.

"And you became so proficient on your own?" Hermione questioned further.

"No, when I was around nine or ten, we sought out an alchemist named Izumi Curtis to take us as apprentices," Ed recalled with a terrified expression. Even after all these years and their combat side-by-side on the Promised Day, even the memory of her teacher could scare her senseless.

"I wonder what she is like… I mean she must be amazing if she taught you!" she mused dreamily as she brushed her hair out of her face, probably picturing some noble and strong woman with a book or something.

"She is a beast that's what she is. Scary and strict, McGonogall has nothing on her. She dropped us off for a month on a deserted island with nothing but a knife as trial training to see if we were worthy to be taught. Then sent her shop assistant to pester and frighten us to death. We didn't know it was him until after though. We thought he was some kind of demon trying to drive us away from the island," the blonde explained as she set her quill down, flailing her arms and making Hermione gulp.

"I learned to fight from her too. Still can't land a blow on her to this day," Ed added as a side note. Hermione recalled the sessions the alchemist had with Harry and how he couldn't even come close to hitting her. She decided mentally as her eyes grew wide that the woman was scary on a whole different level. "Speaking of which I really need to find a place to train in the castle, I can't let myself get out of shape by sitting around and reading all day!"

Just then Harry returned exhausted and explained to them what he had learned of Voldemort's past. The trio was a bit unsure of the usability of this information despite the fact that Dumbledore told Harry that it had everything to do with Harry's survival.

"I concur, it's important to know your enemy. Their weaknesses, motivation. Strike where it hurts the most. One of the first rules of warfare. Finding out about Hohenheim's past and how the first homunculus was made from his blood over 400 years ago and how it all connected to what the homunculi wanted to achieve is what helped us formulate a plan against him with the counter circle. Even if hearing that my bastard of a father is a living Philosopher's Stone enraged me to bits. I would say this is crucial information you are learning, Harry," Edeline chimed in with a shrug, shaking her fist at the mention of Hohenheim.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hermione shrieked. "Your dad is a 400 years old _living_ Philosopher's Stone?"

"Forget that! I always thought you were an orphan like me!" Harry exclaimed. He was taken aback a bit that the blonde could speak this way about her dad. There wasn't anything he wouldn't give to see his parents again. Little did he know that Ed felt the same way about her and Al's mother and that this notion had cost them very dearly.

"Technically, I was. Hohenheim left us when I was barely over two, and he never returned. Then mom died when I was five…" Ed cut herself off hoping that Hermione wouldn't piece the things she told her tonight together. "We were left to fend for ourselves. Our neighbors, Winry and Pinako Rockbell, had taken us in until… until I joined the military at twelve. Anyways, I didn't know whether he lived or died until we accidentally ran into him when I was fifteen, and in our battle against the homunculi he used up his Philosopher's Stone, so by now, he is surely dead too. So your assumption wasn't incorrect."

The more the trio found out about Ed, the more they couldn't decide whether they should be in awe, scared of her, or pity her.


	7. Each of our own curses

_**Chapter 7: Each of our own curses**_

* * *

 _How could I have not seen this sooner?_ – Ed pondered as she walked towards the Stadium with the trio the next Saturday to watch the Quidditch tryouts. – _Seven is the most magical number of them all… Ha! Probably because I never believed in magic before this. Wait! Do I even believe now? I mean I am moving objects with my mind for fuck's sake!_

All week Ed had been thinking about her revelation that had occurred to her by combining her recent understanding of Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and her previous knowledge of alchemy. The human transmutation circle that she had used for her last transmutation back in Amestris and in New York was faulty. The alchemist came to the conclusion that she should have used a heptagon within the array instead of a pentagon. At least that was her theory now about why her deal with Truth went wrong. She could be wrong again of course but the more books the blonde went through from the library, the more confident she got that this was the answer she had been looking for.

Edeline was itching to talk with someone about her theory. Back home it would have been Al. They discussed everything about alchemy. Now her only remote option was Dumbledore. He at least knew which way was up or down in alchemy, but Ed wasn't sure if she should share her formula that could be used to reach the Gate with the old wizard. He was way too keen on getting there when they first met. Not that the headmaster was around that much these days anyway. So her only choice was to mull it over in her own head until she was confident enough in it.

Try-outs were just as dull as the blonde had expected them to be. Making it worse was the fact that the chilly Scotland air was making her ports ache. _Why did I come down in the first place?_

Harry's popularity had skyrocketed so much that even Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws showed up to try out for the Gryffindor team. It was really ridiculous. Ed wasn't envious one bit of the position Harry was in at the moment. After the Chasers were chosen, she decided that she had seen enough of this circus and was very glad that at least she had enough sense to bring a book with her. So she began to read that instead. It was about Paracelsus, supposedly a great alchemist in this world around the 15-16th century.

As she read the listings of the significant achievements of Paracelsus, she was starting to get a weird feeling. The book talked about Alkahest, a hypothetical universal solvent that can dissolve any substance, including gold and its medicinal uses. The name of which material was invented by Paracelsus when he traveled from China to Constantinople. Now from what she had learned about China back in New York, it was awfully familiar to Xing. And Xing had alkahestry. And the person who introduced it to them was Hohenheim, Sage of the West as legends had called him. _Could this be a coincidence?_

She frantically skipped to the end of the book where a brief biography was provided for Paracelsus and gasped audibly.

Just then, by her side, Hermione whispered "Confundo" under her breath pointing her wand at McLaggen who was up for the Keepers position.

"Seriously?" Ed glanced at her with an incredulous look forgetting her worries for a second. To this point, the blonde had thought Hermione was someone who would never break the rules. And she was a prefect. The brunette blushed furiously for getting caught in the act. Ed didn't really care all that much though and turned back to her book, scowling deeply. _There is no freaking way this was a coincidence…_

"What's the matter?" her fellow witch asked with concern when she saw the expression that Ed was sporting.

"Take a look," the alchemist handed her the book open on the page in question.

"Paracelsus (Phillip Von Hohenheim, Philippus Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim)" Hermione read out loud the first line. At first, she didn't understand then it hit her… _Hohenheim…_ "Isn't that your father's name?" Ed nodded with her mouth in a tight line.

"There is a bust of Paracelsus on the way to the Owlery. Want to check it out after our trip to Hagrid's?" the brunette offered after a few moments.

The tryouts were soon over, but Edeline couldn't keep her mind off the possibility that her father had visited this world in the past too.

"You guys go on ahead to Hagrid's, it's not like he knows me too well anyway. Surely you could use the privacy," the blonde said hastily as she stopped in her tracks on their way to the hut then turned around and ran for the castle.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked with mild amusement.

Hermione decided to keep her mouth shut on the subject until Ed found out the truth and decided to share it with the boys too.

* * *

The Fullmetal Alchemist ran as fast she could up the hill toward the castle, her blonde braid jumping from shoulder to shoulder. Once inside she took two-three steps at a time on the stairs as she sprinted towards the West Tower where the Owlery was located. Reaching the corridor that led to said tower Ed slower her pace and spotted what she had been looking for.

The bust was a perfect replica of Hohenheim's face. Down to the sideburns and beard, even the glasses.

"Stop messing with me!" Edeline cried out, and she slammed her fists onto the stand that held the sculpture. "You never told me that you came from another world, dammit!"

She sank down into a kneeling position in front of the statue.

"And now you are probably dead… and even if you are not, you are over there… how the fuck do I get home? Tell me dammit!" she was practically in hysterics by now, screaming. It was a good thing no one really went to this part of the castle.

The alchemist got the book out of her bag frantically and tried to find any type of clue how the Sage of the West might have passed through the Gate. Then all of a sudden she started laughing.

"Of course… this must have been after Xerxes… you did say you were born there… you were already a Philosopher's Stone…" Ed sighed heavily. "Ah, fuck this!" she exclaimed almost throwing the stupid book at the wall but quickly held herself back since it was from the library and she really didn't want to fall from the good graces of Madam Pince if she was to spend more time in this world.

Instead, the girl sat down with her back against the wall and started to read through the book from cover to cover as thoroughly as possible.

* * *

"Have you guys seen Ed?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron as she looked around the dinner table at the Great Hall.

They had ended up spending the entire afternoon at Hagrid's, but the blonde never came to find them.

"N-wo," Ron answered his mouth already stuffed with roast beef. Harry shook his head too, and glanced around but didn't see the little alchemist either.

After dinner, they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was very crowded, as most people had finished their meal by now, but they managed to find a free table and sat down; Hermione was still glancing around for the blond alchemist but no sign of her either.

"Let me check the dorm room…" she said making her way up the stairs leading to the girl dormitories but returning not even a minute later.

"Not there," Hermione sighed with worry as she ran her hand over her face.

"You know something don't you?" Harry asked as he remembered the unstrung expression Ed had when she had left them around noon, the very same that Hermione had on her face now.

"I don't know for sure… but it seems her dad might have crossed over to this world in the past. We know him as Paracelsus," Hermione shrugged.

Ron – who until now had been sulkily staring at the ceiling because of the encounter with Slughorn before dinner – snapped his head to them.

"How in bloody hell is that possible?" the ginger boy looked at them wide-eyed.

"Have you not listened during any of our previous conversations with her?" the witch huffed with a roll of her eye. "Her dad was a legendary alchemist, who was also a Philosopher's Stone if Ed managed to get over to our world, why couldn't have he done the same?" she stated the obvious.

"Where did you say she went from the Stadium?" Harry inquired.

"I haven't. She had gone to check out the bust of Paracelsus on the corridor on the way to the West Tower," Hermione informed.

"Shit… I'm going to be late from the detention with Snape," the raven-haired boy muttered checking the time. "Go and check if she is still there!" he called as he left through the portrait hole.

* * *

Leaving their homework behind, Ron and Hermione decided to take a stroll towards that certain corridor before the curfew. And there was Ed right under the bust, immersed in the book that she had with her at the tryouts.

"There you are!" Hermione exclaimed with relief.

"Huh?" Ed glanced up a little disoriented.

"You've been sitting here the whole time?" Ron questioned a little bewildered.

"Yeah… read the whole book three times, but nothing indicating how he crossed the Gate successfully… besides I mean the obvious, but that is not an option," the blonde sighed forlornly.

"It's him isn't he?" Hermione asked taking a good look at the statue. She could see the resemblance between the two of them.

The alchemist nodded as she got up, a little stiff from sitting in an uncomfortable position so long and dusted herself off.

"Let's go, there is nothing here…" Ed said as she darted between the others to make her way back to the Gryffindor tower.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with worry for the blonde. She was usually very determined and snarky, not depressed like she was now.

"Ed, wait!" Hermione called after her as she ran to catch up with her, leaving Ron behind. He decided to stay a bit back, it seemed this was more of a girl talk type of thing. "What's on your mind?"

"I never really forgave him you know…" the shorter girl sighed. "For leaving us. I always blamed him for what happened with mom."

"What did exactly happen?" the brunette questioned further.

"She was always so sad… Al and I got into alchemy because it seemed to cheer her up… but it also reminded her of him… and then she suddenly died… and we…" Ed trailed off. _We did the unthinkable…_

"You tried to bring her back, didn't you?" the witch stated more than asked. Even with magic, it is impossible to truly bring back the dead. From what Ed had subtly hinted at throughout their conversations, and what she had revealed about alchemy and equivalent exchange, there wasn't really another explanation for why Ed was missing two limbs, and why her brother had lost his whole body.

"Yes, and because of my mistake, Al had to suffer… and now I'm stuck here, not even able to confirm if I at least managed to set that right…" the alchemist stated grimly as she slammed her fist into the corridor wall.

"Then you just have to find a way to get back!" Hermione tried to cheer her up.

"I don't think I can afford any more mistakes though…" Ed sighed. "I don't think that Truth will let me off without taking my life if I mess this up again."

"Again?" the brunette cocked a brow.

"This isn't the first world… I've spent another month and a half in an alternate version of this one in the future… there was no magic there though, or at least not like this…" the alchemist glanced down at her hand.

"You will find a way, I know it! If there is anyone who can it is you!" Hermione insisted which elicited a small smile from the blonde.

* * *

For the next few weeks, there was still barely any sign of Dumbledore. Ed got to the point in her anxiousness that she had decided to throw all caution aside. At the first possible chance, she would force the headmaster to discuss her theories with her whether he liked it or not.

On the Hogsmeade weekend, Harry finally got a note from the old wizard for their next session to be on Monday. The alchemist was determined to tag along and corner the man afterward.

Although the village outings required a parental consent form, she was able to acquire one through McGonagall given that she had no legal guardian – unlike Harry who could have gotten one from the Dursleys if they weren't total bitches in the trio's third year when they were first allowed to go for trips.

After the poking and jabs that went along with Filch's checks with his Secrecy Sensor, they were off for their walk towards Hogsmeade which was not enjoyable at all. The wind and sleet were particularly hard to walk against on this _fine_ Saturday morning, and Ed kept rubbing her right shoulder that ached under the weather. Scotland was definitely not her favorite place to be in mid/late autumn.

When they arrived, they saw that Zonko's Joke Shop had been boarded up, which Harry took as a confirmation that this trip was not destined to be fun. Ron pointed with a thickly gloved hand toward Honeydukes, which was mercifully open, and Harry and Hermione staggered in his wake into the crowded shop.

"Thank God!" Ron shivered much like everyone else as they were enveloped by warm, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon," he exclaimed.

"Harry, m'boy!" came the booming voice from behind them.

"Oh no…" Harry muttered much to Ed's amusement. The four of them turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous furry hat and an overcoat with matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystalized pineapple, and occupying at least a quarter of the shop.

"Harry, that's three of my little suppers you've missed now!" the Potions master said with great disappointment, poking Harry genially in the chest. "It won't do, m'boy, I'm determined to have you! Miss Granger loves them, don't you?"

"Yes," Hermione replied unable to say the truth, glancing at the blonde for help. "They're really…"

"So why don't you come along, Harry?" Slughorn demanded with his pushy attitude.

"Well, I've had Quidditch practice, Professor," Harry said glancing towards the alchemist too to not dare say that he had indeed been scheduling practices every time Slughorn had sent him a little, violet ribbon-adorned invitation on purpose. Since Ron and Ginny were on the team too, they had a good laugh imagining Hermione shut up with McLaggen and Zabini. This also meant that Ron wouldn't be left out. Ed usually just tagged along or hauled herself up in the library as usual, not interested in the fat Professor's shenanigans the least bit.

"Well, I certainly expect you to win your first match after all the hard work!" the Professor exclaimed. "But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you can't possibly want to practice in this weather…"

"I can't, Professor, I've got – er – an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening."

"Unlucky again!" Slughorn cried dramatically. "Ah, well… you can't evade me forever, Harry! What about you Edeline? I don't see you in my lessons anymore either. It's such a shame!"

"I have permission for free studies, Sir," Ed replied with a grimace that she tried to disguise as an awkward smile.

"Yes, yes, Dumbledore had informed the whole staff. Still, do come by sometimes. I would love to have you and your talents!"

 _Yeah_ _to go and ignore me in favor of Potter when I do shine… no thanks…_

And on that note, he waddled out of the shop with a regal wave, taking absolutely no notice of Ron who had been standing there.

"I can't believe you've wriggled out of another one," Hermione sighed with a shake of her head. "They're not that bad, you know… They're even quite fun sometimes…" she continued, but the expression on her ginger friend's face made her shut up instantly. "Oh, look – they've got deluxe sugar quills – those would last hours!"

A little later they decided to go over to the Three Broomsticks, where Harry ran into someone named Mundungus. He looked like quite the shady person, someone Ed expected to see in the Devil's Nest bar with Greed's crew back in Dublith – the hometown of her teacher – instead of a small village like this.

Harry got really mad over the little thief stealing Sirius's stuff from Grimmauld place and had almost choked him. The blonde couldn't really blame him for his outburst, but she made sure to covertly bang her auto-mail hand loudly against the pub wall to distract Harry from his murderous intent. One thing Ed wouldn't stand for is killing people, no matter how justified it seemed. That gave enough time for the pest to disapparate sending Harry into a furious frenzy.

Just then Tonks showed up too out of nowhere and ushered them to leave the cold street much to Ed's pleasure. She really wished for those northern type auto-mails by now that she was equipped with when she visited Briggs.

Once inside, Hermione got four butterbeers for them, but Harry was still fuming over the incident. Ron kept glancing at the bartender girl, much to Hermione's annoyance. Ed felt really uncomfortable with the trio. The tension was palpable in the air. Luckily the moment Harry drank the last drop of his butterbeer he suggested they go back to the castle and all of them nodded in agreement.

Before them Katie Bell and her friend – Leanne? – were walking, arguing about some package of sorts that the former girl was carrying. Just then the package ripped as the girls were tugging it and Katie floated in the air, screaming in agony. The trio and Ed rushed up to help, trying to get her down. As she fell, Ed managed to catch her in her arms but was barely able to keep her still as she thrashed around.

"Harry, go get help!" Ed yelled at the boy who was staring helplessly. "I think she might have been cursed. Don't touch that!" she added to Ron who bent down to take a look at what they dropped as Harry sprinted for the castle.

Harry soon returned with Hagrid – thank Truth – he was big and strong enough the hold onto the thrashing Katie. Without a word, he bent down, scooped her into his arms, and ran off toward the castle with her.

Harry crouched down to examine the package without touching it. An ornate opal necklace was visible, poking out of the paper.

"I've seen that before," he said as he stared with a scowl at the thing. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it," he looked up at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably with suppressed tears. "How did Katie get hold of this?" Harry questioned her.

"Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it…" Leanne shook with another sob as Hermione patted her on her arm.

"Imperius curse…" Ed interrupted with a grim expression.

"We'd better get up to the school," Hermione suggested with her arm still around Leanne. Everyone but Ed nodded. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on…"

The blonde hesitated for a moment, then picked the package up with her right auto-mail hand, ignoring Ron's gasp.

"Don't worry, it's metal, remember? We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey," she said.

Heading into the castle, they ran into Professor McGonagall, who took them for questioning about the incident, sending the cursed object with Filch to Snape for examination.

The whole conversation got really awkward when Harry told McGonagall his suspicions about Malfoy. Ed could see the logic in which the Professor cleared Draco, but years in the military told her that even if he had an alibi for Hogsmeade, he could have sent someone in his stead to pass it off to Katie. The blonde decided to keep her mouth shut though, she didn't need McGonagall prying and disapproving eyes on her too.

The trio just couldn't shut up about the incident afterward so Ed excused herself to go to the library, while the others headed for the common room.


	8. To be or not to be

_**Chapter 8: To be or not to be**_

* * *

Monday rolled around, and both Harry and Ed were anxious for their meeting with Dumbledore. Harry had wondered whether Dumbledore would return from wherever he had been in time for the night's lesson, but not having received word to the contrary, he presented himself outside Dumbledore's office at eight o'clock, with Edeline in tow, waiting for them to finish outside.

It was a couple of hours later and very very late at night for any student to be wandering the hall when Harry had finally reappeared.

"It was interesting I assume?" the alchemist smirked at him when she saw his thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, I will tell you guys when we are all together," he said absentmindedly.

"Yeah about that… I'm not sure how much longer I'll be around," the blonde stated with a wry smile.

Harry looked at her wide-eyed, not entirely sure what she meant.

"If things go well with Dumbledore tonight, I might not even return to the common room…" the alchemist confessed her intentions for the meeting that she had kept secret from the trio so far.

"Uhm… good luck I guess?" the raven-haired boy said unsurely.

"Oh… I almost forgot…" Ed fished a little vial out of her pocket that she stashed before leaving her dormitory. She also had all her important belongings jammed into her pockets inconspicuously. Her silver pocket watch was most important of them all. Everything else she could leave behind. It's not like she would have any use of a _wand_ among others over in Amestris, does she? "You always have the Felix Felicis with you don't you?"

"How did you…?" the Gryffindor boy asked astonished, he thought he was sneaky about it.

"Know? Come on, you are talking to someone with a great history of keeping things hidden. I wouldn't have left it lying around either. Safest, if it's with you at all times, isn't it?" she explained with a wink.

Harry got his little potion out and as promised poured just a couple of drops over into the blonde's tiny beaker.

"I guess this is farewell then…" he muttered with a scowl and embraced the petite girl into a hug their faces touching slightly. _What with the hugging all the time, geez?_

Just then, she felt something weird about the boy, which she couldn't very well place. It left her skin crawling though. Come to think of it she never had prolonged skin-to-skin contact with him before. Not counting that one slap, none at all, but she guessed that was too quick to sense this, or her own anger at the time suppressed it. Even during their sparring, they always managed to somehow only touch either through clothing or with her auto-mail hand. _Could this be a disruption of chi I was feeling?_ Mei always referred to the feeling Father's lair gave her as if many people were crawling under her feet. That was the only thing she could compare it to.

"Say goodbye to the others for me. I couldn't bring myself to do it before we left the common room. Hermione would have never let go of me…" she chuckled embarrassedly as a cover-up as Harry released her.

"You might be onto something there…" he laughed out scratching the back of his head.

A few moments of awkward silence later, Harry waved goodbye and trotted down the stairs leading up to the headmaster's office. Ed returned the wave, then as he was out sight took a big breath and knocked on the door.

* * *

"Did you forget something, Harry?" Dumbledore called as the door opened, but quickly realized it wasn't the Potter boy who had returned.

"Sorry to barge in on you like this…" Ed grinned unapologetically. "But you are one tough bastard to get a hold of."

There was mild amusement in the eyes of Dumbledore, but he motioned for the alchemist to come in and sit down in front of his desk.

"I am a busy man as you may imagine," he said, propping up his chin in his left hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You are busy hunting down the damn Horcruxes Voldemort had created," the blonde waved him off.

"I myself hadn't had the confirmation yet as to what those are that I am hunting down. How would you possibly know about them?"

"Having unlimited access to a vast library with a restricted section has its perks I guess," Ed shrugged. Having the old man's questioning gaze on her still, she continued. "Ginny was upset about Harry using a potions book with someone's scribble in them. When I questioned her, she told me about Riddle's diary that Harry destroyed in his second year and that had manipulated Ginny into opening the Chamber of Secrets. Also that, supposedly, Voldemort's soul fragment was in it. Having had experience with soul binding but not breaking apart of them, I got curious and searched the restricted section for anything that might explain it. Hence I stumbled upon Horcruxes. I just connected the dots."

"Did you tell Harry about this revelation?" Dumbledore questioned further.

"No, I figured you are building up to it with these little sessions. At least I very much hope so," the alchemist stated with a pointed stare.

"Do you happen to know how many are there? Since you keep referring to them in the plural," the headmaster now rose from his place and made his way around the table, sitting back down on its corner to face Edeline.

"Well, in relation to a different topic of research… which is why I came to you today actually… I came to the conclusion that seven is the most magical number so I would be guessing that Voldemort either split his soul into seven parts or created seven Horcruxes," Ed replied after a beat of thinking.

"I would probably have to agree on that," Dumbledore replied deep in thought himself. "Now what is it that you sought me out for?"

"Before that…" the blonde paused wondering how to phrase her concerns. "There is something off about Harry… I think he might accidentally have become a Horcrux too when Voldemort tried to kill him with the deadly curse," she said finally. There weren't too many other explanations for the feeling she got as they hugged. That ominous feeling must be emanating from the dark wizard's soul fragment, as she really couldn't imagine such hatred and evil lurk in the boy on his own.

"You might be right about that too, but I must ask again, how do you know?" the headmaster was growing more and more intrigued by Edeline.

"Alkahestry, it's a form of alchemy where I come from. I'm not very good at it, but I can sometimes read the flow of the Dragon's Pulse, or chi, or however it is called over here… especially if there is something very off. Like when I sensed because of your hand that you are dying," Ed started then blushed furiously about what she was about to say. "Harry hugged me outside, and our skin brushed for the first time for a prolonged time since I met him, and I just got this very creepy feeling. With what we just discussed that's the only sort of cause I can come up with."

"Are you and Harry might possibly be…?" Dumbledore asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What? No… no… no…" the blonde protested furiously waving her hands in front of herself with an emphasis. "We are just friends. It was a goodbye hug."

"Are you leaving us so soon?" the headmaster questioned with disappointment, if he had any say in the matter he would have asked the alchemist to stay until this war was resolved. They very much needed fighters like her on their side.

Remembering her original intent for the visit, she got out two parchments from her sleeve and laid them out on the table for both of them to see. There was seemingly nothing on them, but with a quick nonverbal incantation two almost identical transmutation circles appeared on the papers.

"I wanted to get your opinion on these given that you are the only fucking semi-decent alchemist high and low around here," the alchemist grumbled with much annoyance at both the fact that there wasn't anyone else to discuss this with and the old wizard's previous comments on her perceived love life.

"I'm flattered," Dumbledore said with no hint of sarcasm what so ever. "May I?" he asked curiously, taking the first parchment in his hand to examine it further after a stiff nod from the blonde.

It was quite an impressive array, nothing he had seen before in his life. Inspecting the inscriptions around the circle and the pentagon inside it he furrowed his brows. There were many similarities to the one Flamel had used to create the Philosopher's Stone.

"Is this what I think it is?" he looked up from the paper through his half-moon spectacles at Ed.

"A human transmutation circle, yes," Ed confirmed. "The very same that I have used to reach the Gate and which landed me twice somewhere other than home. And this is the revised version," she said handing him the other.

Dumbledore took note that the pentagon was changed to a heptagon. _Seven as the magic number?_

"Thank you for showing me these. With my – how you elegantly put – limited knowledge of your alchemy, I would say the latter would work better. But I'm by no means qualified to tell you this for certain," the headmaster smiled kindly at the alchemist as he handed the parchments back.

"I was afraid you would say that," Ed huffed with a disappointed scowl. _What was I expecting really?_

"Will you be leaving tonight?" Dumbledore asked as the blonde put the enchantment back on the papers to hide away her work and stowed the rolled up designs back into her sleeve.

"I was planning to…" the girl began unsurely.

"Is there any way I can convince you to stay? We could really use your help. In the meanwhile, I will try and get some more definitive answers on those too," he said pointing to where the parchments disappeared into Ed's clothing.

"What do you want me to help with this time, old man?" the blonde eyed him suspiciously. She was so done with babysitting.

"Just by being yourself. Keep researching," Dumbledore chuckled and waved the little alchemist off to bed. "And please keep your suspicions about Harry to yourself for now," he called after her as an afterthought.

"I'll keep my mouth shut. I hope I don't have to stress the same about my research?" Ed replied from the door.

"Naturally."

* * *

"Oh my God, you are still here!" Hermione shrieked the next morning as she saw Ed's still clothed form lying on top her covers, her left leg actually dangling from the bed.

"Are always so loud in the morning?" the blonde grunted sleepily as she pulled the pillow on top her of her head, remembering their very first encounter at the Burrow.

The alchemist had returned to the room very late last night after her chat with Dumbledore. Quite frankly she had been so tired that she hadn't even bothered to shower, or even change into night clothes for that matter, before collapsing onto the bed and into a fitful sleep about evil little monsters residing within the soul of a particular young dark-haired boy.

"You would have really left without so much a goodbye?" the brunette continued with outrage, throwing a pillow at Ed when she peeked out from under her own one. Even in her half-asleep state, Ed swatted away the squishy attack with ease.

"Has the thought crossed your mind that maybe reactions like these are why I would have?" the alchemist grumbled as she finally drew herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her face. Her usually quite neat braid was a complete mess. There might even have been some drool at the corner of her lips. But that fact could not be confirmed or denied by Hermione since the blonde quickly got up and left for the bathrooms.

"You are such an arse sometimes!" Hermione yelled after the retreating back of her roommate.

"Yes, I know I have a nice ass, thank you very much for noticing!" Ed waved her hand with humor without glancing back as she strolled out the door, leaving the brunette with her mouth hanging open and blushing slightly.

* * *

As soon as she closed the door behind herself, Ed cringed. _What the fuck did I say that for? What the hell is wrong with me? I'm seriously starting to turn into Mustang… I knew being around that fucking bastard was contagious… Must be the sleep deprivation…_

After somewhat straightening herself up in the ladies room, the blonde decided to wait for everyone in the common room instead of going back up to face Granger.

The boys arrived earlier for a change, and both of them lunged at Ed in surprise that she was still among them and not in some mystical far away land. _Mystical would be a better word for this looney bin though…_ – Ed thought to herself as she tried her very best at concealing her concern for Harry when she looked at him. Now that she was aware and consciously monitoring his chi, there was no doubt in her mind that her assumptions about a part of Voldemort's soul lingering inside him were correct. She also very much hoped that removing it didn't have to involve Harry dying.

At the breakfast table, the alchemist was pretty distracted with her thoughts and absentmindedly played with her silver watch, sometimes glancing over to Harry who tried to tell them the details of his meeting with the headmaster, but there were just too many prying eyes and ears, so he decided to share it later.

"Hey, everything alright?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

Ed knew she had been acting weird, but she just couldn't help it. There were so many conflicting feelings inside her she was surprised she hadn't burst already. It was almost Shakespearean… _to be or not to be…_ in this world at least. Edeline wanted desperately to be back home with her brother, to make sure he was okay. But she also didn't want anyone to get hurt. At least the entire weight of the fate of this world wasn't lying on her shoulders now… _Why did trouble always have to find me wherever I go? Or is it me who finds trouble?_

"Yeah…" the blonde mumbled turning her attention back to the watch that she now spun on the table without actually touching it.

"It's pretty, what is it?" the brunette tried to keep the conversation going.

"My State Alchemist pocket watch," the alchemist shrugged. Another reminder that she desperately needed to be home.

"May I see?" Hermione eagerly holding out her hand.

"Sure, just don't try to open it," Ed sighed handing it over.

"Why?" the witch cocked a brow at the blonde.

"First, it's alchemically sealed. Second, too personal," the alchemist looked at her severely to not push the matter further. _I've got the date on which we burned our childhood home down so that we could only move forward etched on the inside, okay?_

Hermione gulped at the sudden intensity and carefully examined the silver lion motif on the pocket watch's front then handed the object back.

After breakfast, the trio dragged along Ed to Herbology with the promise of the account on Dumbledore's lesson. Young Tom Riddle sounded every bit as creepy as his older self, renamed as Voldemort. But Ed guessed 20/20 hindsight was easy.

"Nobody ever suspects anything of a child. I was constantly underestimated at 12-13 by my opponents," Ed smirked. "Also there was this homunculus named Pride. His container was an 8-9-year-old boy, disguised as the adopted son of the Führer President. He wasn't suspicious even after we found out about King Bradley's identity. But let me tell you, that kid was creepy once the cat was out of the bag. He could manipulate shadows in every imaginable way, cut through steel even with blades made out of shadows. And had these frightening purple eyes on them too…" the alchemist shuddered as she finished her animated description.

"Thanks for that mental image, Ed, now I won't be bloody able look at a dark corner the same way!" Ron whined as they finally reached the greenhouse they were looking for.

Ed immediately groaned in frustration at the task that they were to do in class… extract pods from Snargaluff stumps. _Why do I ever let these people drag me to their stupid classes again?_

Ron – still hung up on the idea of a young You-Know-Who – had them engaged in conversation, then the latest Slughorn party that both Harry and Ed managed to pass again came up – until Professor Sprout had caught them chatting instead of working that is.

"Should've used Muffliato, Harry," Ron murmured quietly to his friend once the teacher was out of earshot.

"No, we shouldn't!" Hermione stated at once, looking intensely cross at the thought of the Half-Blood Prince and his spells like she always did. "Well, come on… we'd better get going…" she ushered them, but Ed turned around and whispered the spell anyway, maybe just to spite the stuck up brunette. Well, not just maybe. She could have done it non-verbally if she wanted to, and Hermione would have never been the wiser.

"Ed!" she looked at her with a full-on pout and disappointment and gave the other two an apprehensive look. The blonde smirked with her usual up-to-no-good mischievous glint in her eyes, at which the witch sighed. _At least her good spirits are back…_ – Hermione thought. They all took deep breaths and then dived at the gnarled stump between them nonetheless.

Later the Slug Club came up again on the menu of their conversation, and both Ed and Harry were feeling like a third and fourth wheel in the discussion that ensued between Ron and Hermione. Blonde and black kept glancing at each other trying to find a way to make this any less awkward.

* * *

The first Quidditch match of the season was just around the corner, and although Harry wouldn't say anything, with Katie's hospitalization and Ron's inconsistent performance, it was evident the newly appointed captain was less than optimistic.

"Are you sure you don't want on the team?" Harry asked her the millionth time since their little attempt at the Burrow.

"As what? A chaser? I would be useless on that front, and you don't need a seeker better than yourself," Ed kept insisting. Harry blushed a little at the compliment.

Although she did get better with her broom handling since coming to Hogwarts because Madam Hooch insisted on a few private lessons, similar to the ones every first-year student has to have. Especially after she figured out how to charm her auto-mail to be exactly the same weight as her non-metal limbs, but she figured those would be illegal in a real match.

Also, there was no freaking hell she was going to sit on a broom and whoosh around in the harsh wind of November. Her joints were already giving her so much trouble that she wasn't sure if she wanted to go down to the Stadium just to watch. Of course, she was quite confident she would be dragged along by Hermione no matter how hard she protested anyway.

So Harry ended up asking Dean, much to Seamus's – and frankly many other people's –disappointment, thus the need for a win just kept getting higher and higher.


	9. Catastrophic festivities

_**Chapter 9: Catastrophic festivities**_

* * *

The Saturday of the match arrived in a blur. Ron looked so much like he was about to throw up at the breakfast table that Ed was virtually inclined to transmute a bucket for him out of the flooring. Only almost because she got fed up with him and his behavior over the last couple of days.

The alchemist didn't know how Harry had the strength to put up with the mood swings of Ron that had ensued during that time period. One minute he was lashing out with such rage that Wrath would cower under his words. They were directed towards the blonde on not one occasion, and if she were any other girl, she would have probably run off crying, which – as she heard – did happen with Demelza Robins yesterday at their final practice.

Instead, Ed usually threw him over her shoulder or punched him, having enough self-control to not inflict any injury that the effect of wouldn't wear off after a few minutes to an hour. As much as she pretended she didn't care about some silly game, the Gryffindor spirit was rubbing off on her, and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of the mass hatred if the match was lost because she thrashed their keeper. Not that Ed thought that anything she could do would worsen his abilities more than they already were, lest putting him in the hospital wing.

The next second he was in total despair over his keeping skills. Ed could see Harry was about at his wits end too, and then it occurred to her in one, sudden, glorious stroke of inspiration.

"Maybe you guys get lucky today!" the blonde looked at Harry suggestively. At first, he seemed confused, but then the light-bulb went off, and Ed felt that her work here was done. Now if she could just wriggle out of actually having to go out into the terribly chilly Scotland air…

Harry did a brilliant job of pretending to spike Ron's drink with a bit of lucky potion, Hermione was practically murdering them with her eyes when the ginger keeper downed the pumpkin juice despite her protests, and Ed had to struggle to keep a straight face to not blow Potter's cover. _Bloody freaking ingenious as Ron would say…_ – Ed thought, the British lingo too was really rubbing off on her.

The game was won practically without a hitch – Hermione had indeed dragged her down to the stadium as foreseen – and there was an instant celebratory party organized in the common room by Seamus.

Hermione furiously trotted off the overlook that they were sitting on. Probably to confront the boys in the changing room. THAT Ed had to see, so she scrambled quickly after her, ignoring her stiff leg.

"You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!" Ed got there just in time hear the big accusation coming from Hermione when only Harry and Ron were left in the changing room.

"No, I didn't," Harry denied, turning back to face the three of them and the blonde couldn't keep in laughter anymore.

"Yes, you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right. Slytherin players were missing, and Ron saved everything!" the brunette witch cried out, stealing an angry glance at the alchemist who was doubled over by this time. Hermione realized that she was in on it too.

"I didn't put it in!" Harry grinned broadly.

"He really didn't!" Ed managed to get out.

Harry slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion lest the few drops that he had given to Ed, which, of course, Hermione knew about too.

"Ed gave me the idea. I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking," he looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."

He pocketed the potion again.

"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron muttered out loud astounded, looking between Harry and Ed. "But the weather's good. And Vaisey couldn't play… I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"

Harry shook his head, Ed still unable to respond. Ron gaped at him for a moment, then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice.

"You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!" he said mockingly with an angry glare.

"I never said you couldn't… Ron, you thought you'd been given it too!" Hermione protested taken aback by the tone.

But Ron had already strode past her out of the door with his broomstick over his shoulder.

"Er…" Harry muttered into the sudden silence between the three of them, even Ed's snickering was cut off by the change of atmosphere. "Shall… shall we go up to the party, then?"

"You two go!" Hermione said with imminent crying evident in her voice, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done…"

And she stormed out of the changing room too.

"That kind of backfired…" the blonde stated, blinking after the retreating back of her friend.

"Yeah…" Harry muttered half-heartedly, starting for the castle himself, leaving Ed behind.

"What? Now you are mad at me too?" the alchemist called after him.

"It was your idea!" he accused as he slowly walked up the hill.

"Oh, come on! If you didn't think it was good, you shouldn't have gone along it!" Ed protested to taking all the blame, then when Harry didn't respond, she continued. "You know what? Fuck it!" and she stormed off too.

The party was already in full swing when she arrived, Hermione was nowhere to be seen, but Ron happily hooked up with Lavender Brown from the looks of it. Rolling her eyes, she made past the crowd and went up to the girl's rooms instead. Hopping down on her bed she got a book from her bedside table and decided to read instead.

After a little while, when her anger had dissipated, Ed decided to check back down. Neither member of the trio was anywhere to be found though. As she glanced around Seamus came up to her.

"Looking for me, beautiful?" he tried to flirt, which only made Ed roll her eyes.

"What the fuck did you have besides butterbeer?" she huffed then darted for the portrait hole to escape the unwanted attention.

The hallway was deserted, and the blonde checked the nearby classrooms to see if she could find anyone. In the first unlocked classroom, Ed found Hermione sobbing on Harry's shoulder, a little flock of birds twittering around the girl, then before she could say anything Hermione raised her wand and yelled "Oppugno," making the birds attack her.

"Protego," Ed quickly conjured a shield without her wand – having no time to take it out – in which the little birds all kind of exploded. "Hey! What did I get that for?"

"Sorry…" the brunette apologized wiping away her tears as she lifted her head from the boy's shoulder. "I thought Ron was stupid enough to come back…"

"I will try and not take it as an offense that I can be confused with that half-wit," Ed snorted at that, much to her surprise making Hermione chuckle a bit.

* * *

The holidays were approaching fast, which was signaled by the weather too. Snowfall was now almost a daily thing, which Ed didn't much appreciate. The corridors were so drafty that there were many days that the alchemist just decided to stay in the Gryffindor tower and live off the books she could take out of the library. She had pretty much read all the books outside of the restricted section though.

On the evening before the Slug Club Christmas party, the blonde did venture out to the library, as she had run out of books to read. While she sat there, immersed in her current research project that was more closely related to what Dumbledore had asked of her than her own, she heard two very familiar voices whispering to each other. Namely Harry's and Hermione's.

Ron, the Half-Blood Prince, Slug Party, love potions that some girls may or may not want to slip into Harry's drinks… _just the usual I guess…_ – Ed sighed. They hadn't noticed her, and the blonde wasn't really in the habit of eavesdropping on her friends, so she tried to tune them out, but the talk regarding the sneaking of banned substances into the school caught her attention again. Perfumes and cough potions… _who falls for that seriously?_ – Ed shook her head. Well, truth be told Filch _wasn't_ a very good wizard like Hermione pointed out too.

Just then Madam Pince caught the pair whispering and after being thoroughly horrified by the Half-Blood Prince's book to have been written all over they have been thrown out. Looking at the time, Ed sighed, it _was_ getting pretty late, but the vulturelike librarian never minded if the blonde stayed after official closing time. Anyhow she decided to retire to the common room too, just to make sure.

Outside the library, she caught up with Harry and Hermione.

"Oh, you've been down here too?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Mmm-hm," Ed muttered.

"Is your shoulder bothering you again?" Harry chimed in as he noticed the blonde rubbing it.

"Maybe you should give Madam Pomfrey a visit, I bet she could give you something for it," the brunette witch suggested.

"Maybe, tomorrow," the alchemist agreed, then fell silent, letting the two of them chat away about Filch's and Madam Pince's supposed secret affair.

"Baubles," Ed mumbled as they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.

"Same to you," the Fat Lady replied with a roguish grin as she swung forward to admit them.

"Hi, Harry!" Romilda ambushed Harry the moment they had climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a gillywater?"

Hermione gave him a "what-did-I-tell-you?" look over her shoulder as she and Ed made their way towards the tables. The blonde could feel his pain though. Lately, she started getting all sorts of male attention too. Probably for a similar reason so that they could attend this stupid Christmas Party on her side. No need to say, she wasn't the least bit interested in any of them.

Although, she didn't get why she was popular. It's not like she was the rumored 'Chosen One' or that she cared to say two words to anyone besides the trio. But maybe being sort of a mysterious transfer student, having independent studies, not really being assigned to any house, not attending classes gave a sort of an appeal. Also, it seemed that the fact that she had broken Malfoy's nose on their very first day made it to the rumor mill, which gave her a sort of badass reputation among the Gryffindors. In Ed's mind that should have acted as a deterrent instead of a magnet though.

Hermione caught sight of Ron and Lavender being glued together by the mouthpiece again, so she retired early to the girl dormitories.

* * *

Heeding the suggestion of Hermione, Ed visited the hospital wing around mid-day in hopes of something that could ease her aching scars.

Madam Pomfrey's reaction was the same as anyone else's when they first found out about the alchemist's missing limbs, or more like about the metal auto-mail that replaced them.

Nonetheless, the matron equipped the blonde girl with some heating cream that she could apply to the areas if they bothered her.

By dinner time, she felt much less her grumpy self as the ointment seemed to have worked miracles. Sitting down by Harry in the Great Hall, closer to Hermione – who was seated at some distance away probably to avoid Ron, playing with her stew – Ed heard Ron being taken aback by the fact that Harry asked 'Looney' Lovegood to the party.

"Don't call her that, Ron!" Ginny and Ed admonished him simultaneously and giggled over it. Ginny was happy that Harry was taking the blond Hufflepuff, but Ed could sense it on Harry that he wasn't that pleased with the fact that it didn't bother the ginger girl at all.

The raven-haired boy tried to get his friend to come to his senses over something that happened in class that Ed clearly missed. Lavender and Parvati arrived just then, and the former girl was instantly all over Ron, making Ed want to seriously gag her supper back.

The topic came back to Slughorn's party again. It seemed that was the only thing anyone could talk about these days. As it turned out Hermione was going with Cormac McLaggen, probably just to spite Ron. The alchemist rolled her eyes. Girls and their revenge… sometimes she seriously felt that she wasn't a girl at all. But it's not like that was news to anyone.

"Who are you taking?" Parvati asked the blonde once Hermione left the table.

"Uhm…" Ed almost choked on her own stew. She was still trying to somehow wriggle out of it to be completely honest.

"Surely there is some boy who would be happy to accompany you!" the girl pushed on.

"Maybe it's me who isn't happy about that prospect…" the blonde mumbled under her breath. "Wanna come with me?" she asked finally when it hit her that Parvati was complaining earlier about not being able to attend.

"Sure! Thanks!" the Patil twin beamed a megawatt smile and returned to her dinner.

* * *

The girls – Hermione, Parvati, and Ed – were trying to get ready in their dormitories. The blonde was cursing under her breath furiously for not ditching the whole thing. She really didn't have anything to wear. Not like she couldn't transmute something from her current clothes, but she didn't really know precisely what to transform it into. She knew jack shit about the customs of the wizarding world for such occasions.

"You should wear a dress," Hermione supplemented when she saw the alchemist's hesitation.

"There aren't enough fucking galleons in the world that would make me put on a dress!" Ed exclaimed vehemently.

"Are you even a girl, seriously? Everyone would want to dress up pretty," the brunette sighed.

"I was always a tomboy, alright?" the petite girl countered. Then inspiration suddenly hit her. Her trademark redcoat could pass off as dress robes if she tweaked it a bit. So that's what she did. She transmuted it, making it a bit longer and stiffer in material, removing the hood and opting for a high collar. She thought it was brilliant especially paired with her usual black leather pants and blazer, but Hermione snickered behind her back.

"What?" the alchemist cried out indignantly.

"You look like Dracula in that getup," being muggle born had its perks, she could throw around references no one would understand.

"Don't compare me to some freaking movie vampire!" she yelled.

Hermione was clearly astonished that Ed knew what she was talking about and Parvati just stood there dumbfounded, the only thing she sort understood was 'vampire,' but from DADA classes and books she was quite sure that vampires didn't look like the blonde right now.

Having the Patil girl still in the room too Hermione decided not to question this particular piece of knowledge that the alchemist possessed and turned back to her own clothes instead to get ready on time.

* * *

Hermione left to meet McLaggen while the other two girls just headed straight for Slughorn's office where the party would be held.

Harry and Luna arrived at the door shortly after them, and Ed caught him chuckling to himself a bit.

"What's so funny?" Ed asked a bit annoyed as they entered.

"It seems Luna was right after all," the Gryffindor boy kept snickering.

"About what exactly?" the blonde huffed not at all amused.

"That there is a vampire attending the party…" he managed to get himself under control because of the alchemist's murderous stare.

"Seriously, not you too!" Ed rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Hermione said something?" Harry guessed she would be the only other person around Ed who would have seen that movie. Or any film for that matter. Mind you, Harry had to sneak a peak in from the doorway unnoticed while the Dursleys watched TV and they flicked the channel away as soon as it became clear to them what Dracula was about.

"That I looked like Dracula…" the blonde pouted. "I don't remember him having long blond hair though…"

"When did you actually have a chance to watch something like that?" the raven-haired boy asked, but before she could answer, he was spotted by Slughorn and dragged away to meet 'important' people.

"Go mingle, you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," Ed offered to Parvati, who took her chance immediately.

The alchemist stood there for a minute, feeling totally out of place. They didn't even have Christmas over in Amestris, so the festivities just added a pile on this unwelcome feeling. The blonde glanced towards Harry who talking with a group of people along with Slughorn. She nearly choked on her drink when she caught notice of the tall and emaciated looking man with dark shadows under his eyes by him. _Now that's a real vampire…_ – she chuckled to herself, recognizing the telling features from her extended research. There literally was no book in the library that she hasn't read by now.

Walking over to stand by the other wall instead of the door, Ed spotted Hermione who seemed to be trying to hide from someone behind the curtains.

"McLaggen giving you trouble?" she asked with a smirk as she joined her, making her jump a little, then the brunette relaxed when she saw that it was only Edeline.

"Oh, I've just escaped… I mean, I've just left Cormac," Hermione muttered. "Under the mistletoe." Ed just gave her a confused look. "It's a silly convention really… that you have to snog underneath them."

Understanding washed over the blonde, and she let out a giggle. "Shouldn't have come with him then…"

"I thought he'd annoy Ron most," she stated flatly as she munched on some food that she got a hold of from a tray. "I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole…"

"You considered Smith?" Harry exclaimed as he joined them in their hiding, apparently having heard the rest of the conversation too. "Let's get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper tryouts?" Harry asked drawing closer to Hermione.

"Do you really think I'd stoop that low?" Hermione asked with raised her eyebrows.

"Hermione, if you can ask McLaggen…" Harry looked at her shrewdly.

"There's a difference," the brunette affirmed with dignity. "I've got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Keeper tryouts."

"Good," Harry declared fervently. "Because he'll just fall apart again, and we'll lose the next match…"

"Quidditch!" Hermione cried out angrily. "Is that all boys care about? Cormac hasn't asked me one single question about myself, no, I've just been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen' non-stop ever since — oh no, here he comes!"

She moved so fast it was as though she had disapparated – one moment, she was there, the next, she had squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.

"Seen Hermione?" Cormac inquired forcing his way through the throng a minute later, but eyeing up Edeline at the same time, causing her to roll her eyes.

"No, sorry," they said unanimously. Harry then quickly joined in Luna's conversation, forgetting for a split second she was talking to Professor Trelawney, while Ed fled the scene, not wanting to get caught up in this mess.

Heading straight for the door, she decided to take a stroll in the hallway. She really wasn't a people's person. The cool of the corridor air was much nicer than the stuffy, crowded room inside, that's for sure. From the sixth floor where Slughorn's office was located, she wandered up upstairs to the left corridor of the seventh floor when suddenly she was met with a sight she wasn't expecting at all.

Malfoy was standing in front of an empty wall seemingly concentrating very hard on something. Just then Ed heard footsteps behind her, and she hid in the wall opening that housed one of the many suits of armors that 'guarded' the hallways of the castle.

Sure enough, Filch trotted past her shortly after, fortunately, taking no notice of her at all, instead catching Malfoy. He made excuses that he was heading to Slughorn's party and was dragged off by the caretaker.

After a few moments, without making a noise, the alchemist followed after them assuming that they were going back to the sixth floor. She arrived right as Filch left the party room with an expression of outraged disappointment, not even taking note of the blonde. As Ed stared after the caretaker, not a minute later, Snape and Malfoy appeared at the doorway too.

The former Potions master acknowledged Ed with only a grunt and left off with the Slytherin boy. Harry hurried out, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket. _Does he really take it_ everywhere _with him?_

"Where did they go?" he asked the blonde frantically as he motioned for her to get under the cloak too. Ed just pointed in the right direction. As they dashed down the corridor, Harry pressed his ear against door after door until, with a great jolt of excitement, he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.

The conversation that they witnessed was the most fabulous confirmation either Harry or Ed could have hoped for regarding Malfoy's Death Eater status. Clearly, the boy was in close affiliation with Bellatrix, even if that can be explained away with family ties. What's more concerning was this job that they keep talking about that he was given my 'his master.' More shockingly it became quite apparent that Snape could not be trusted. He made the Unbreakable Vow to Draco's mother to protect him.

They had a barely second's warning after the hushed conversation was over. Malfoy's hurried footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door, and they flung themselves out of the way just as it burst open. Malfoy was striding away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office, around the distant corner and out of sight. Hardly daring to breathe, Harry and Ed remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. The eavesdroppers stayed on the floor, hidden beneath the cloak, sharing a look as their minds raced.


	10. Disappearing act

_**Chapter 10: Disappearing act**_

* * *

After their adventure, both Harry and Ed decided to ditch the remainder of the party when they couldn't find Hermione anywhere and turned in for the night at the Gryffindor tower.

Practically no one stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays. Harry and Ron had left for the Burrow early the next day, and the raven-haired boy had barely had time to wish Hermione a happy Christmas and to tell her that he had some very important news when they got back from the holidays, as she set out to visit her own family. He was not entirely sure that she had heard him though, as Ron and Lavender had been saying a thoroughly nonverbal goodbye just behind him at the time. After seeing them all off, Edeline returned to the common room, only to leave for the library a few minutes later, unable to relax or stay in one place.

She felt just about as useless now as she had when her auto-mail had been shattered by Scar, and she had been forced to visit Resembool and mule around without her proper limbs for three days. Only this was so much longer. _I wonder if this is what Mustang feels every time it rains… he would hate it here…_ Itching to go back home she kept taking out her transmutation circles, looking at them longingly. When the trio was around, it was easy to focus on the fact that she had some sort of mission in this world, but with them gone the temptation was all too great to just clap her hands together and place them on the paper holding her revised array.

Although she had never even heard about Christmas before this, the spirit and mood of the holiday were getting to her. It was supposed to be a family event, shared with loved ones. And here she was alone. The temptation was indeed great to return to Al's side.

On Christmas Eve, the alchemist resolved that she would be leaving after the first chance she got with Dumbledore to tell him all about her findings that she had come up with after she had combed through the whole Hogwarts library. Some, more useful looking books, even two-three times. That was the task she focused on for the remainder of December.

* * *

On Sunday, January 5, the students were finally returning to school. Ed camped out in the common room, very hopeful to see a friendly face after two weeks of practical solitude.

The trio and Ginny finally walked in, and after Lavender almost tackled Ron, plus Ginny went off probably to meet with Dean, Harry and Hermione made their way towards the table she was sitting at.

"Hey there, Ed!" Harry greeted her as they sat down. "So how was your Christmas?" he directed at both of them.

"Oh, fine," Hermione shrugged. "Nothing special."

"Just about the same here," Ed grunted holding up her book to indicate what she had spent her time with.

"How was it at Won-Won's?" the brunette asked Harry with a roll of her eyes at the endearment that Lavender came up with.

"I'll tell you in a minute," the boy said. "Look, Hermione, can't you…"

"No, I can't," she said flatly. "So don't even ask."

"I thought maybe, you know, over Christmas…"

"It was the Fat Lady who drank a vat of five-hundred-year-old wine, Harry, not me. So what was this important news you wanted to tell me?"

She looked too fierce to argue with at that moment, so Harry dropped the subject of Ron and recounted all that he had overheard between Malfoy and Snape. Hermione, of course, thought the same as Mr. Weasley and Lupin much to Harry's annoyance that Snape was probably just pretending to want to help Malfoy. Also, she doubted Draco's plans to be related to Voldemort still.

"Have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?" Harry asked finally in relation to Remus.

"Yes, I have!" Hermione exclaimed, sounding startled. "And so have you, Harry!"

"When, History of Magic? You know full well I never listened…"

"No, no, not History of Magic. Malfoy threatened Borgin with him!" the brunette stated the obvious. "Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress!"

"That makes so much more sense now why Borgin mentioned him the moment he saw my eyes…" Ed chimed in.

Harry gaped at them.

"I forgot! But this proves Malfoy's a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?"

"It is pretty suspicious…" Hermione breathed. "Unless…"

"Oh, come on!" Harry sighed in exasperation. "You can't get around this one!"

"Well… there is the possibility it was an empty threat."

"You're unbelievable, you are," Harry shook his head. "We'll see who's right… You'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah, I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well…"

"The Minister of Magic?" Ed asked to which Harry nodded seriously and recounted what happened.

The rest of the evening passed amicably with both of them abusing the minister, for Hermione, like Ron, thought that after all the Ministry had put Harry through the previous year, they had a great deal of nerve asking him for help now.

"By the way, I have a session with Dumbledore tomorrow evening, if you want to ambush him again like last time," Harry added cheekily to Ed when they finally decided to go to bed.

* * *

Apparition lessons were the new buzz of the next morning. Harry and Ed having both been taken on a 'ride' with Dumbledore before weren't all that keen on the idea, but everyone else seemed excited to bits by the possibility of popping out of existence in one place and turning up in another at will in a blink of an eye.

Harry and Ron joined the crowd that was jostling around the notice and taking it in turns to write their names at the bottom.

"Aren't you gonna sign up too?" Harry asked the blonde meekly.

"I don't really see the point…" she shrugged.

"Are you planning on leaving again?" Ron chimed in when he managed to peel himself off of Lavender.

"Unless Dumbledore comes up with yet another ingenious way to stall me," the alchemist grunted at the possibility. The old geezer had an uncanny ability to manipulate people into what he wanted them to do, and Ed was just about done with this shit.

"Just make sure you say goodbye to Hermione before you go. She was really upset last time that you tried to sneak away," Harry chuckled at the memory, but his eyes told the blonde that he was dead serious.

"Fine, fine," Ed waved them off as she made her way to the portrait hole to go the Great Hall in search of breakfast.

It seemed sometime during the day Ron let it slip that Harry had experienced Side-Along-Apparition before, so for the rest of the day, Harry was besieged with requests from the other sixth years to describe the sensation of Apparition. All of them seemed awed, rather than put off, when he told them how uncomfortable it was, and he was still answering detailed questions at ten to eight that evening. Ed was snickering at the scene in the common room but shut up immediately when Harry threw her a glance that told her if she continued he would let it be known that she could be hounded with questions too.

Inconspicuously, Ed said her farewell to Ron and Hermione then quickly made up an excuse to join Harry, when he was forced to lie and say that he needed to return a book to the library to escape in time for his lesson with Dumbledore.

"You have everything?" Harry asked on the way, wondering how the alchemist had so little belongings with her.

"The important stuff, yes," Ed smirked tapping her pockets. When they arrived, she sat down on the stairs for the wait, while Harry went inside.

* * *

The visit took even longer than the last, but Edeline waited it out patiently. Well, as patiently as it could be expected from the fidgety alchemist. She kept bouncing her right knee on the step below the one she was sitting on.

Harry finally reemerged, with a thoroughly perplexed expression.

"Everything alright?" Ed asked with a bit of worry. _What did Dumbledore tell him?_

"Yeah, I will just have to figure out how to coerce Slughorn to give up a memory…" he trailed off.

"Well, he is obsessed with you so it shouldn't be too hard," the blonde chuckled.

"Yeah…" Harry mumbled, preoccupied with his thoughts.

"Goodbye, Harry, I really wish the best for you guys," Ed said finally waving her farewell to the raven-haired boy too.

"I hope everything goes well with your return too," he smiled upon her from the bottom step, and then he vanished from sight.

"Here goes nothing…" the alchemist drew a deep breath and went in.

* * *

"Good evening, Edeline," Dumbledore greeted, not a bit surprised this time that the blonde had visited him.

"Can't catch you off guard two times in a row, can I?" Ed chuckled nervously.

"I'm afraid not," he motioned for her to come closer.

"Truthfully, these are the only times I know for sure you are in the castle…" Ed mumbled as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"What do you have for me?" the headmaster inquired.

"Nothing new really, and have read through every freaking book in the stupid library," the blonde grumbled. "I'm guessing that with the diary fiasco, you already know that basilisk venom is an effective agent to destroy the Horcruxes. Besides that, maybe fiendfyre, or the killing curse would do the trick if applied to a living Horcrux."

"I was afraid so…" Dumbledore sighed.

"Does this mean that Harry will have to die?" Ed questioned hoping that somehow there was a different answer, but deep down she knew there was none.

"A Horcrux can only be destroyed if it's damaged beyond repair. I'm afraid in case of human life that means death," the wizard spoke solemnly.

"Why did you set Harry onto Slughorn if I may ask?" the alchemist pondered after a minute.

"It seems young Voldemort had questioned the Professor about Horcruxes while at Hogwarts. But he is reluctant to give up the real memory of that night," Dumbledore answered as he slowly paced his office.

"Well, if anyone can get it out of him it's Harry," Ed agreed. "I think it would be wise to remove any book from the restricted section of the library that gave any pointers to Horcruxes too."

The old wizard just nodded absentmindedly to that.

Silence fell upon them again.

"You will be returning home, I presume?" the headmaster looked towards the girl.

"I have been gone way too long. Al needs me," she admitted. _It's been more than six months if I count New York too…_

"I won't keep you longer then," Dumbledore relented.

"Actually…" Ed began. "I will need your help one last time, old man."

The alchemist got her transmutation circles out, and drew up the one she was going to use on the floor of the office, then set the parchments on fire.

"I need you to destroy the one on the floor too, once I'm gone," the blonde insisted. "Absolutely no one can find out about this array. It's far too dangerous."

"Consider it done," the old wizard nodded.

The older Elric got the small potion vial out and downed the few drops of Felix Felicis, then with a big sigh, she clapped her hands together and initiated the transmutation.

* * *

Endless white void greeted her once again with the white little faceless being – with whom Ed became too acquainted with over the years – sitting right there in the 'middle' in a lotus position.

"So here you are again, _al-che-mist_ ," it emphasized the last word like it were an insult, but its face was in a huge grin, occupying most of it.

"Someone is in a good mood, I see," Ed blurted out, although she didn't know why.

The white figure just looked at her perplexed, tilting its head to the side.

"Been dabbling in some magic, I see," Truth concluded, then waved its hand, and the lucky potion's effects were dispersed from the both of them. "But that won't work on my plane."

"Can't fault me for trying," the blonde shrugged. "I suppose this is what you wanted."

"You are right," the omnipotent being smiled slyly this time. "So are you ready to admit it?"

Ed furrowed her brows, not entirely sure what it wanted her to say exactly.

"Come on, don't be coy, I know you know it," it pushed her on.

"You want me to accept that magic exists, right?" the alchemist probed. Her mind screamed at her, trying to deny it, it went against everything that she previously believed. Yet she saw the evidence. She couldn't explain all of it away with different forms of alchemy, and most of all equivalent exchange.

Truth kept looking at her expectantly but wouldn't give the verbal confirmation that Ed was seeking.

"Fine, magic exists, happy now?" she stated grudgingly.

"And?" it inquired further gleefully.

 _What else do you want? It exists, I tried it… wait a minute… I tried it…_

"I am magical too, dammit, okay? Everything – alchemy, magic, imagination – comes from this darn place and that makes everyone and everything just fucking magical!" the alchemist burst out and panted angrily as she glared at Truth.

It laughed out, not mockingly though, much to Ed' surprise.

"Oh, you never cease to amaze me," it wiped its not existent eye as if a tear had escaped. "Fine, I accept your answer, you may return to Amestris."

"Seriously you just wanted a fucking ego-boost all this time?" Ed huffed.

"No, like I told you when we first met, I may be Truth or God or the Universe, or whatever you want to call me, but I am also You. If I wanted an ego-boost, then I would just have to give you one," Truth looked at her now humorlessly. "I am trapped in this nothingness. Anything that I experience is through the people that have a connection to the Gate. I sent you on your quest so that you would get enriched with new experiences, thus enriching me in the process…"

"Why do I sense a 'but' in there somewhere?" the blonde grunted, cutting it off.

"But everything comes with a price. Although I think this time, you have paid it already," the white midget smiled.

"How exactly?" the alchemist inquired. It seemed too good to be true.

"With your time of course. That you had to spend away from your world," Truth answered.

The blonde glanced around then back at her Gate. _Was this really this easy?_

"And yes, your Gate of course, as you offered so graciously earlier. That means your alchemy _and_ your magic. Unless of course you still want something…" it questioned sensing the uncertainty in the little alchemist.

"What happens to them?" Ed asked, suddenly worried about her friends that she left behind.

"You can see for yourself… it seems I will be getting another visitor soon," Truth looked contemplative. "You shared the transmutation circle with the old wizard, didn't you?"

"What?" the blonde's eyes went wide. _Was Dumbledore really this stupid?_ She trusted him to not use it. _I really shouldn't have…_

The figure got up, and with a hand motion, another Gate appeared across from Ed's. When it opened an old, very battered up looking wizard, with his usual long beard appeared.

"Dumbledore…" Ed whispered at first, then went into a full-on rage. "You fucking idiot! Why did you open the Gate? What about Harry? I thought you were going to prepare him!"

"Edeline, it's been months since you left my office," he answered quietly surprised too to find Ed here.

"Months?" Ed now looked at Truth.

"Oooppss… forgot to tell you… time doesn't exist here. Imagine it like little wheels that I can turn independently to meet each other at any point," it shrugged as it explained the concept with hand gestures. "What do you want, wizard? Seeing that you already died, there is not much I can do for you."

"Died?" Ed whispered. "Was it Malfoy?"

"No, Edeline, as you already knew I was dying anyway. I asked Snape to kill me to save Draco from the burden," Dumbledore explained, and the blonde's eyes went wide.

"You manipulative bastard! Harry doesn't know about this little arrangement, does he?" the blonde was beyond outraged.

"No, he does not. But given that Severus is a double agent – with a critical part to play – that is for the best," he assured her ever so calmly.

"You are unbelievable…" Ed pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Enough of the chit-chat," Truth bellowed as it seems to have gotten bored. "What do you want, wizard?"

"Just one more question!" the alchemist butted in, and Truth groaned in frustration. "If you died, how? Dying doesn't take you to the Gate!"

"But a small, magically planted transmutation circle on my wrist that I activated just as I died, does. Don't worry, any magic disappears the moment the caster dies, so the array left no trace for anyone to find either," Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at her.

"Now get to the point," the omnipotent being cut in impatiently.

"I want one chance to meet with Harry when he dies and is still between worlds before he passes over," the – now former – headmaster requested.

"And what are you offering as a toll?" Truth smirked. It knew there was nothing the already dead wizard could offer it that would suffice for what he was asking.

"My company perhaps," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Not nearly good enough," it sneered.

"What about my memories?" Ed cut in, not really in control of her actions. _What am I doing? I could be home with Al by now! Why am I still meddling? It's not my fight! But there is a chance that Harry could be saved, why else would Dumbledore want to see him when he is still in the limbo between worlds?_ "You said you wanted experiences. Keep mine. Of the two worlds I visited."

Truth looked at her considering the offer.

"Merely time versus the actual memories. Sounds interesting. You see I don't really have use for time in a place where it doesn't exist. Perhaps I can include your friend's request to stay at the Gate while he waits for this Harry to meet his end after all," the evil grin plastered on Truth's face by the end was truly frightening, it pondered a bit more. "Fine, I agree. Since you won't be needing the knowledge that I gave you for your arm, you can have back that too."

Her Gate behind her and auto-mail arm disintegrated, while Truth conjured the Gate that it used every time it sent Ed between worlds. Tiny black hands yanked her away while grabbing away greedily towards her head. Before the gate closed on her, the last thing the blonde could hear was a faint "Thank you."

* * *

Winry had come up to Central to watch over Al when the news of Ed's disappearance reached her. The younger Elric wouldn't ask for it directly, but she could sense that she was really needed, so she made the one day's worth journey anyway.

When she first saw Al, the blond mechanic couldn't help but gasp. He was so thin and fragile. Seemingly a small gush of wind could pick him up and carry him away.

Winry sat by his bed for the second day in a row now. Al wouldn't say much about what had happened, why Ed disappeared, but Winry knew that it had to do with bringing Al's body back. _That dummy didn't go and sacrifice herself for her brother, did she?_

She glanced anxiously over to the blond boy who was sleeping now. _Stupid siblings…_ – she sighed.

Just then a blue-ish array appeared on the ceiling, and a certain tiny alchemist with braided long blond hair fell out with a yelp, landing hard on the floor.

"Ed!" Winry shrieked waking Al up in the process too.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk," the smaller blonde girl ticked in pain as she scrambled to her feet. _That's odd, why land in the hospital? I started off with the transmutation in the courtyard of HQ…_ "Al!" she noticed her brother not long after, running up to his bed to hug him.

"Careful, I might break," he chuckled, clearly relieved to see his sister back.

"Sorry," Ed muttered as she stepped back from him.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Al looked at her wide-eyed when he was finally able to assess her appearance more thoroughly. _More importantly… she doesn't have any injuries… but she was beaten up so bad on the Promised Day… those wouldn't go away in three days…_

Ed looked down at herself too, and to her horror, she was in a black skirt, tight sweater, stockings combo, with some weird robes like thing over it. And her chest wasn't bandaged either, signaled by her not too big but still noticeable breasts, that were unflattened by their usual binds.

"Winry, stand guard at the door while I fix this," Ed muttered and clapped her hands together to transmute her usual boyish attire. But nothing happened. "Shit… right… this won't work anymore."

"Here, let me," Al motioned for her to come closer.

"No, no, no, you are too weak for that!" both Ed and Winry protested.

"I'll be fine, now get over here before someone comes to check on us with all the ruckus. You don't want to get busted after all this time right, _brother_?" he smirked at his sister, and she groaned in defeat.

Al clapped his hand together and transmuted Ed's clothing quickly to her usual outfit, even changing the robes to her red coat and having enough material to equip her with some chest bandages too.

"Er… too tight," the blonde ex-alchemist gasped as she tugged on the bandages to allow herself to breathe better.

Her brother plopped back down on the pillows, panting. The transmutation apparently taking a lot out of him. The girls shot worried glances at him.

"I'm fine," he breathed with closed eyes, catching his breath.

"What happened to you?" Winry asked for the both of them as Al opened his eyes slightly, clearly interested too.

"What do you mean? I went to get Al from the Gate after the battle with Father. Then after giving up my alchemy, I fell out of the ceiling in your hospital room," she explained confusedly.

"You've been gone for more than 72 hours, brother," Al answered sitting back straight, causing Ed to get behind him and arrange the pillows to support him. "And those are clearly not the clothes you left with, your injuries are gone too. Where have you been?"

"I…" Ed paused. "I don't remember."

* * *

 **A/N: My 'This is amazing' story is a direct follow up of this if anyone is interested and don't worry I have many fun little ideas that I can harass Ed with back in Amestris.**

 **Two omake chapters left in this fic.**


	11. Omake: Sound body, mind and soul

_**Omake: Sound body, mind, and soul**_

* * *

 _I really need to find a way to train around here…_ – Edeline thought to herself as she roamed the grounds. – _Especially while it's still warm outside…_ – she added as she glanced up at the fading warmth of the September sun.

As it seemed, PE wasn't really at the forefront of the school's concerns regarding the curriculum. The only "subjects" close to this were related to brooms: Flying lessons and Quidditch.

There literally was no place in the castle to go at it a bit. No gym, no training room, and even if the halls were big enough, there was always the risk of breaking something of value. Not that Ed couldn't just fix it back up right away with alchemy, but no need to risk it by getting caught. No wonder all the kids at Hogwarts either looked scrawny as hell or over-weight and fat. She was probably the one in the best shape physically speaking from all the kids and perhaps even the adults at the castle, and she had two limbs made of auto-mail for crying out loud! Well okay, the players on the Quidditch House teams were okayish in this regard in her opinion, but even they would have needed some endurance training to build up stamina in her opinion.

But even if she were to find a place for her endeavors, Ed had no one to spar with. All that the kids at Hogwarts knew that was the closest to what she had in mind was wand duels, but swinging around a little stick didn't constitute as sparring in Ed's mind. I mean, she could have just recruited Harry for this purpose, but even throwing him around got old and boring pretty quickly. It just wasn't a challenge.

 _If nothing else at least I can go for a run…_ – she decided that morning, and that is how she wound up on the grounds.

There was a footpath leading up the hill, and Edeline decided that this was just the perfect place for a little exercise. Taking the path, she soon wound up at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, then by Hagrid's Hut. Running further she noticed a peculiar looking tree. It sort of looked like a willow, but the trunk was much sturdier, and it twisted around in wicked ways.

 _Someone obviously doesn't know their tree pruning…_ – Ed sighed inwardly.

As she came closer, movement caught her eyes from the branches that couldn't have been caused by the wind. Then all of a sudden the tree snapped one of its thick branches _right at her_.

"This is a whomping willow?" Ed cried out loud as she jumped out of its way. "On the school grounds? Are they insane or something for planting it here where it's full of kids?"

The alchemist had read about these rare plants in one of the herbology books from the library. Sentient and very aggressive. Then a wicked idea came to Ed's mind, she smirked and chuckled to herself. If anyone would have seen her right now, they would probably think that she was the one who had lost some of her marbles.

She went closer and when the tree took another swing at her, she ducked under the offensive branch. Then jumped over the next, and blocked one of the smaller ones with her auto-mail. She laughed maniacally.

"This is the best work our ever!" she exclaimed as she continued to jump around, doing back flips, cartwheels on one hand and other evasive maneuvers.

The blonde had been going at it for a good half an hour when Hagrid came running up the path, probably alerted by the whooshing sound the tree made when it activated.

"Ar' yer bloody mad, kid?" he hollered from the top of the hill. "Get aw'y from ter tree 'fore it smacks yer out cold!"

He probably hadn't noticed that it was Ed yet, as he made his way down to the tree hurriedly to save her from the whomping willow.

Ed jumped out of the way of a thicker branch, then with two backflips she was out of the reach of the thinnest, longest ones too and the tree went still again. The alchemist grinned up at Hagrid as he reached her.

"Oh, it's just yer," the groundskeeper peered down at her with furrowed brows.

"Hi, Hagrid," Ed greeted a little out of breath when the giant didn't let up with his disapproving glare she continued. "No need to worry, I knew exactly what I was doing."

"Shouldn' yer be in class or somethin'?" Hagrid inquired, still glancing incredulously at the tiny girl beside him. I mean, Dumbledore had told him about the background of the girl somewhat, but what he had just witnessed regarding her agility and physical skills was beyond anything he could have imagined. Now he understood why she was assigned as Harry's bodyguard during the summer.

"No, I was exempted from it by Dumbledore," the braided blonde replied, grinning even wider. "I just needed a little training and found this place while going for a run."

"Fine, just don't go and get yerself killed or somethin',' he huffed as they walked back towards the castle.

Needless to say that Ed came to visit the place there on out whenever she needed to let out some steam. Well at least until the weather allowed it.


	12. Omake: The burden we bear

_**Omake: The burden we bear**_

* * *

Wandering the empty halls while she was "skipping" class on an uncharacteristically sunny November Tuesday morning, Ed caught sight of long purple robes disappearing just around the corner.

"Professor Dumbledore!" she yelled and ran towards the direction she believed she had seen the old wizard go.

Much to her relief the headmaster had heard her and was waiting for her to catch up after the turn of the hallway.

"How may I help you on this fine morning, Ms. Elric?" he turned with a kind smile to the braided blonde.

"I was wondering if you had any records on Paracelsus, maybe a book he had written himself? The library only had one book summarizing his works," the alchemist inquired as she caught her breath.

"I believe I do have something in my private collection at my office," Dumbledore replied glancing down at the anxious face of the alchemist.

"And you are just telling me this now?" Ed exclaimed frustrated by the no care in the world tone of the headmaster.

"I had no idea his works might be of some importance to you," he chuckled lightly as they started walking towards the headmaster's office.

"He was supposedly one of the greatest alchemists this world had. It's not exactly rocket science that it would interest me!" the blonde huffed further.

"Nicholas Flamel was one too, and I don't see you so excited about his works," the headmaster commented with humor.

Ed didn't dignify that with an answer. She had already expressed her feeling regarding Flamel and his work when they first met. The blonde alchemist had absolutely no need to be reminded of the horrors he had done and the methods and ingredients used for the Philosopher's Stone. One go at that was enough from Dr. Marcoh's research.

Once they reached the top of the stairs and they entered the private office, Dumbledore walked to his massive bookshelf in search of the book he had in mind based on Edeline's request.

"I have one original manuscript of Paracelsus," Dumbledore commented as he handed the book to Edeline.

She took is eagerly and began quickly scanning over the contents, which piqued the old wizard's interest. I mean, he knew the blonde was really into books and thirsted for knowledge, but he had never seen a reaction like this from her. But before he could ask her about Ed spoke up.

"I have read this one before," the alchemist sighed, placing the manuscript on the desk.

"Where? As far as I know, this is the only copy in existence," Dumbledore inquired in surprise.

"In my father's private collection at home when I was five. I never realized he was the one who actually wrote it," Ed informed, preparing herself for the onslaught of questions.

But they didn't come, Dumbledore seemed to be in a contemplative trance.

"My father's name was Van Hohenheim. I made the connection when I read about Paracelsus, and the brief biography stated his original name was Philip von Hohenheim. I even checked the bust on the way to Owlery. It's definitely him. Plus this book proves that too," Ed felt obligated to explain.

"Ironically, it was reading this book and meeting Paracelsus later in his life that Flamel made realize just how twisted making the Philosopher's Stone really was, and started to use it for a greater good," Dumbledore commented grimly.

"Well, my father never had a great sense of timing. If he had just shown up a hundred years earlier in this world, he might have been able to save a lot of lives," Ed rubbed his head. "The more I see this text, the more I think it was meant as a cautionary tale, aimed to prevent another incident like the one in Xerxes to ever happen again."

"No one has ever been able to find the ruins of the ancient civilization of Xerxes that disappeared in one night this manuscript talks about though," the headmaster mused out loud.

"That is because they are located in the desert east of Amestris," Ed laughed out. She could just imagine a bunch of wizards desperately trying to find the legendary place in hopes of discovering the means of creating the Philosopher's Stone, and never succeeding given that it didn't exist in this world.

"Well, that explains a lot," the old wizard smiled all-knowingly.

"He used to be a slave in Xerxes. Alchemists there used his blood to experiment with, which lead to the making of the first homunculus, who we later encountered as 'Father'," the blonde recalled the story her father had told her when they were reunited in Lior. "The king of Xerxes sought eternal life, and the homunculus tricked him into turning the whole country's population into a Philosopher's Stone. What the king didn't know was that the homunculus never intended the king to be at the center of the transmutation circle and instead turned himself and Hohenheim, who was standing in the center of the transmutation circle along with him, into Philosopher's Stones. Hohenheim had an idea what the homunculus was trying to accomplish. At least he was able to stop Father the second time around, 400 hundred years later, along with us when he tried the same with Amestris."

"That is some heavy heritage to have."

 _No kidding…_ – Ed thought, but instead of dignifying the remark with an answer, she strode out of the headmaster's office, wiping an unbidden tear away.


End file.
